Italy is not a happy place! All the people I know (who are not Italian) have a very romantic idea of how wonderful it is. Yes, if your a tourist and stay a few days/weeks.
Imagine! If an only child marries an only child their offspring might have not only no brothers or sisters but no cousins. This is not uncommon. I did not understand why I, who had a plethora of aunties, uncles, cousins and siblings, was made such a fuss of when I met my Italian nephews-in-law. It was because, now in their 40's, they had never seen an Aunty and never seen a cousin before.
I met so many people who have only one child - and I'm not talking only about the young. I include the elderly who had only the one.