If we want to lump Italian pipe making into one broad category, neo-classical is probably the word to use. We see curved shapes that are curvier, heavy shanks that are heavier, exaggerated features like bowl size, sometimes a sly interpretation of a classic shape - the Castello 55 is a great example of this. That pipe is a straight pot, done neo-classical. In this, the finishes also got the same approach - bright orange highlights on very stripey pieces (pieces that the British factory pipes would have had special names/series for, the Italians knock out routinely). The rustication is again off the charts for texture and interest. Even the sandblasts often have smooth panels of a contrasting color, although the blasting itself is rarely exceptional. So to me, I get what the OP is saying, but I would take it further and say that what hits me about Dunhill and GBD and Barlings is how tight the shaping was, how dressed down and "sharp" the pipes looked, and on the Italian end, I see something exuberant and playful, a celebration of the pipe rather than an execution of it. Both are, of course, great.