Italy is full of beautiful women. Something about that place just breeds to the most gorgeous women you'll ever see. Want proof? Take a look at Claudia Cardinale. She crossed over from Italian cinema to American films with ease because who wouldn't want to look at her for two hours? 90% of my movie choices are just based on what pretty girl is in the movie. Sorry, but I'm not sorry.
Italian movies were very strange because many of them wouldn't record sound while shooting. They would later record the dialogue separately and layer it on top of the movie. This can lead to an uncanny feeling when watching the movies, but that is also part of their charm. There's a good argument for using that method, but with technology these days, it's pretty easy to record quality sound no matter what shooting condition.