During the late Middle Ages and early modern times many Italians came to Germany for business, and relations between the two countries prospered.

[6] Between 1876, the year Italy began keeping track of people leaving the country permanently, and 1915, around 1.2 million Italians moved to Germany.

[7] Companies recruiting Italian workers were concentrated primarily in Germany's southeast, especially the industrial states of Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and Hesse.

[7] The majority of Italians that came with this first wave of immigration were men without families; most intended to return there in the medium term, although a great many ended up settling in Germany permanently.

[10] Initially seen as temporary "guest workers" by both Germany and Italy, almost no effort was made at first to ease the assimilation of immigrants into German society.

[13] Socioeconomic indicators on immigrant groups in Germany are generally hard to come by, since most studies collect data only on the basis of citizenship, which excludes German citizens of Italian descent.

Nevertheless, the gaps are much less extreme than during the era of the biggest waves of arrivals in the mid-20th century, demonstrating the strides the Italian-German community has made since.

[15] This may also be due to the fact that the Italians, like the other southern Europeans, are comparatively well integrated economically and can successfully compensate for their educational deficits in working life.

[17] Historically, Italians have had a significant impact on the development of the fine arts in Germany, from the Romanesque and Gothic to contemporary fashion and design.

According to a study by the weekly Die Zeit, pupils of Italian descent in German schools fare worse than members of other large immigrant groups.

[21] This may also be due to the fact that Italians, like other Southern Europeans, are relatively well integrated economically and can successfully compensate for their educational deficits in working life.

There are several derogatory terms such as Spaghettifresser, i.e. "spaghetti eaters", Katzelmacher, i.e. "kitty-factory" in reference to the prolificity of some groups of immigrants such as the Italians, Mafiamann, which means mafiosi.

Some forms of anti-Italianism were manifested by Germans nostalgic for Nazism who considered Italians "traitors" to the Armistice of Cassibile, and this is also testified by the filing, in 2006, of a criminal case against Ottmar Muhlhauser, a German officer responsible for the shooting of a hundred Italian soldiers in the massacre of the Acqui Division, motivated by the fact that the soldiers killed were traitors.