I am an Italian and live in Bergamo, the Italian town that is so far the most affected. The impression that Italy is letting older people die is false, at least at the moment [1]; however, there are people that suggest this might be a guideline to be followed, should the virus continue spreading. I believe that the somewhat higher mortality rate in Italy could partly be due to the fact that our mean age is higher than in other European countries [2].

[1] https://www.ecodibergamo.it/stories/bergamo-citta/evitiamo-i... (Italian)

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_median_ag...