Why do some people say Italy is a poor country?

Italy used to be a relatively poor country maybe 50 years ago, but I can't see how anyone could possibly call Italy poor now. It's an extremely desirable place to live for many people, especially from poor North African nations. People sometimes place Italy's Standard of Living with places like Tunisia, it's stupid to even begin to compare Italy and Tunisia in terms of wealth. Italy consistently ranks very high in both Human Development Index, and Standard of Living, it is well up there with all the traditionally developed nations like Germany, France, etc.

Yeah, I know some Italians say there wages aren't coming in line with the rising cost of living, but where isn't that the case? Do most Italians think they're poor, or do they realise that they're relatively very wealthy and affluent, and in a good position in terms of state health care, etc.
Additional Details
Firstly, the British wages may well be higher than Italian wages, but the cost of living on the UK is RIDICULOUS, the cost of living is a lot lower in Italy. Also, crime problems in Italy are no worse than anywhere else. There's shootings in the UK's major cities all the time and people getting mugged and stabbed is an all to common occurance, even in small towns.