I would say though, and being also guilty of generalization, that many Italians tend to be loud people that usually say what they think without thinking too much about it -gross generalization-. That sometimes might make them look more of a bigot than they are, an amplification factor in appearance I may say.
I mean, I am sure many Italians don't really think that your mother is a whore and don't want to kill you, but their loud cursing could make you think otherwise. I mean, you might hear those kinds of threats in the streets just because you didn't start your car fast enough after a green light.
PS: I love Italia, feels like home a little.