I think the issue is that with Italian food the ritual and environment are often more important than the food, which is usually pretty simple.

The espresso culture is an obvious example. The espresso bars buy the cheapest, nastiest coffee to keep prices low and make the most profit. But the customers don't care, they like the ritual of having a quick coffee standing at the bar. The taste doesn't have to be great. Starbucks sent a team over there because American snobs kept telling them their espresso is shit compared to the stuff they've had in Italy. They bring it back and do blind taste tests with it and the Starbucks coffee wins every time. But they keep getting the same complaints because their coffee doesn't come with the context of a romantic Italian holiday.