Italians are not really a collective, in the north they tend to be whiter, in the south they are more tanned (like other southern europeans ie; spaniards, greeks and southern fr*nch) but sicilians and sardinians are specially dark compared to other europeans, almost looking muslim or hindu in skin color.
Panko's frustration probably comes from the fact that she's very pale and italians absolutely hate being lumped in together as a collective.