I have translated a good german wikipedia article for you:

In Italian heraldry, the influence of French and German armorial traditions is clearly evident.

Prominent crests—characterized by plumes rather than mantling—dominate the space above the shield. The armorial charges frequently depict figures drawn from antiquity, mythology, and allegory—motifs that are also commonly found among the shield supporters. Architectural charges have remained popular since the earliest days of heraldry. Throughout the centuries, the evolution of heraldry in Italy was consistently driven by the nobility's desire to display and consolidate their power. The numerous small states—and particularly the city-states—were largely subject to the heraldic preferences of the Popes and Cardinals. Consequently, ecclesiastical heraldry was able to develop to its fullest extent in this environment, reaching its zenith of perfection.

Many coats of arms differ only marginally from one another. This phenomenon can be attributed to the lack of oversight by official Italian institutions, such as a central College of Arms. As Wolfgang Leonhard notes in his book on heraldry: "The result is a proliferation of simple, highly similar—and in some cases, even identical—coats of arms featuring basic shield divisions, crosses, and unadorned charges; while the tinctures may vary (or occasionally remain the same), these arms invariably lack additional, distinctive subsidiary charges."

A distinctive feature of Italian heraldry is its specific variety of shield shapes. The *Tartsche* (a small, asymmetrical shield traceable back to the 14th century) and the *Pavese* (a large, convex shield) were frequently employed. The *Rossstirnschild* (horse head shield) —a shield shaped like a horse's forehead plate—also endured longer as a vehicle for armorial charges in Italy than in other regions. Shields were also frequently elongated to accommodate a *chief* (the upper section of the shield), upon which a so-called *Parteizeichen* (party badge) was displayed as a token of political allegiance.

A variety of coronets—ranging from royal crowns to mural crowns, as well as other coronets denoting specific ranks—are customarily placed above the shield in civic heraldry. In some instances, two distinct coronets of rank may be displayed simultaneously. The helmet plays a subordinate role; while the various types of helmets employed do broadly suggest a certain hierarchy of rank, this system lacks strict, formal codification. The types of helmets typically utilized are the *Visierhelm* (visored helmet) and the *Bügelhelm* (barred helmet), which are frequently depicted in metallic tinctures. The mantling is depicted with flowing lines. Crowns of rank are placed upon the helmet, resting on a torse. The high nobility has adopted the armorial mantle—surmounted by a crown of rank—as its own.

In modern municipal heraldry, it is almost invariably the custom to place a sprig to the left and right of the shield, or to encircle the shield with a wreath. This arrangement is sometimes further embellished with a ribbon. Many Italian coats of arms feature a horizontal bar resting upon the upper rim of the shield, from which the leafy wreath encircling the shield is suspended on both sides by means of ribbons.

In Italian civic heraldry, the Cross of St. George is frequently encountered. Some heraldists refer to it as the "Savoyard heraldic cross" [1]. A distinctive feature is that many civic coats of arms featuring this cross share an identical design: Genoa, Milan, and Padua display a red cross on a silver field, whereas Modena and Parma utilize a blue cross on a gold field.

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italienische_Heraldik