But the Catholic Church has issued a grave warning that “mammismo” – the classic attachment between Italian men and their mothers – is one of the biggest risks to marriage in the country today.

“Marriage has to be an act of free will and awareness,” said Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, archbishop of Genoa and president of the country’s bishops conference.

“When you rely totally on your parents for every step, a spouse does not know what to do or not to do because he’s constantly seeking the consensus of a third person.”