[Antoninus]

There were no Lombards or Avars resident in Italy during the time of the Roman reconquest in the early 6th century, except those who were used as mercenaries by the Romans themselves. The Ostrogoths ruled Italy at that time.

This article makes it sound like these brave Lombards and Avars were defending their homes from invading Byzantines when it is well-documented in the historical sources that the Lombards were the invaders and the Romans mostly took it on the chin--badly--to the point that the Lombards controlled nearly the entire peninsula by 700 AD.

[Argus]

Right you are.