> Can this to some extent explain the huge differences in death rate between Italy and Germany?

Italy has a couple severe disadvantages compared to Germany:

- since the financial crisis young ppl are forced to live with their parents and often enough grandparents in cramped conditions due to exploded rents - which means that symptomless infected can spread coronavirus in their families

- Italy's healthcare system has been wrecked by forced austerity after the financial crisis - it's exactly what everyone warned of back at the time.

- many young nurses and other medical staff have fled to Germany and other countries for better pay