I'm based in the UK and have been travelling around Europe for the past couple of years. Over the last year I've done Spain, Hungary, The Netherlands and Greece. Although I think people's reactions are based on their perspective and lived-experiences and I generally try to be understanding, I was particularly taken aback by the level of rudeness and racism in Italy while I was touring last week.
My main brush with racism was with a FlixBus driver - who was shouting why I sat in a free seat in a literally empty bus , and asked me to keep my rucksack in the luggage space below instead of the luggage racks on the bus. All this in a very abrasive manner shouting.
But also , I generally found middle-aged people in Italy very dismissive - behind ferry ticket counters, coffee shops - generally in the service industry. My experience was better with younger waiters and they were kind and helpful.
For context , I'm a brown British - Indian and I've never encountered this level of racism ( don't know if I can call it that, but certainly felt belittled ) at work in the London area or on my trips to other countries.
Edit : A lot of you have replied that it might be a quick conclusion and that they are just assholes. In that case , read it as - Why are some of them assholes?