Of course a lot more people were very openly 'racist' then, along with being sceptical about the lifestyles and food preferences of other nationalities, so not wanting someone to marry an Italian might not be anything more than being scared of something you are not sure about.
https://www.ourmigrationstory.org.uk...ion-to-britain
Of course an Italian would be Catholic - would that have been a reason to not want a family member marrying one?