Italian culture is extremely family-centric and they love kids - there are plenty of blonde haired, blue Italians (not to mention the throngs of tourists from all over the world), so I doubt it was his blues eyes. They just appreciate children and families. And he’s probably the only person to return from Italy and report that “the food was terrible.” Pizza is only a very, very small part of Italian cuisine, which is incredibly diverse and varies hugely between regions.