I'm also an Italian living in Germany and I know what you mean. But I wasn't referring to the myth of Germany productivity, which is debatable.
The argument is not anecdotal, rather it is just based on the numbers (eg. GDP per hour worked, among others).
you're bot not mentioning irregular work and tax evasions. that and the fact that some regions produce a net positive in terms of per-capita gdp while other produce a net negative (a significant net negative).
