The “genius” of these movies wasn’t instantly acknowledged when they were released.
The term “spaghetti Western” as I recall was hardly a compliment but the proof of their worth lies in the fact Leone’s works were oft mimicked and his techniques studied and adopted by directors and cinematographers for years to come.
It was much cheaper to film in Italy so many low budget westerns we’re done there. Hence the term “spaghetti western”... Comparing American westerns at the time showed great differences(to me the strong moral characters, the orderly towns, and clean housing and structures made the American movies unreal). Leones characters and building structures were all flawed....just like real people and places for the time....