A HUGE reason, and why people in most other European countries generally aren't as fluent in English, is that we don't dub stuff here in Scandinavia. Everything is just subtitled, not counting stuff made for small children. I've been hearing and reading English since I was very young, in movies, TV shows and games.
It's one aspect, sure. The good news - in a sorta global sense - is that culture moves so much quicker than institutions. I wouldn't be surprised if the next generation of Italian children grow up to be just as fluent in english as any other cosmopolitan country, simply because so much of what we deem important is now online, where english is (perhaps) even more pervasive and valued than it is offline.
My shoot-from-the-hip prognosis is that the next generation - who will grow up in a world that is so abundantly connected that there effectively is no escape from it if you want to live in the contemporary western world - will mostly likely be highly proficient in english in terms of writing and reading-comprehension, but will lack verbal communication skills (for a variety of reasons).
The generation that grew up with the Internet and primarily learned english (and other skills) from it is a bit of early data on what may come in the future, as the Internet becomes more tamed, and avoiding things you don't immediately want to engage with becomes even more easy.
A big part of learning any language is the willingness to step out of your comfort-zone, and use tools you don't have 100% control over. Introverts are particularly "at-risk" in this regard, because their intrinsic sensibilities often results in them not training their active, verbal communication skills, and instead fall back on relying on communication through passive mediums like writing, where flaws can be googled and fixed.
It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it might hinder you if your wish is to be more verbally fluent in another language. Engaging with another language in this manner is also - in my opinion - highly valuable in the way that it can open up aspects and qualities of your personality that you didn't think you had before you tried.
There is nothing quite like surprising yourself, and especially when it comes to your idea of who and what you are, and what you think you are capable of.
Engaging with a foreign language can often open up these pockets of possibilities because language, as a method of communication, is intrinsically tied to culture (in terms of history, politics, interpersonal humor, general disposition, "frame-of-mind" and outlook on the world).
Because of this, being willing to perform yourself in another language can be very transformative, and I think a lot of introverts are at risk of missing out, because they are so worried that they don't have the grammar down, or say the wrong word, that they miss the essence and magic of communicating with a stranger.
I guess it's a bit like dancing. A lot of people don't want to dance because they see in themselves a lack of skill, and anticipate some kind of penalty if they don't dance well, when chances are that you're the only one paying attention.
