Lombardy is suffering from critical resource shortage - not enough docs, vents, tubes, ECMOs. The number of people who can be saved is determined by the number of docs and machines available, and once they hit the upper limit, the rest are on their own. So people choose to save those who have more years to live.
This was overwhelming numbers ALL AT ONCE — and the Italians didn’t implement social lockdown.
In contrast, look at China == the first fatality in China happened on January 10th. Then in the next two weeks, 6 out of the first 42 cases died. 15% mortality rate. Their average age was 68 years. So China immediately ordered lock down of all their retirement homes in Mid-Jan, because they could see that the older people would be the most hard-hit. So they locked down all the retirement homes, the seniors AND the staff, all locked down together for a month, until the virus is cleared. There was one retirement home in Wuhan that got the virus before the lock down, and the numbers are just as ugly. But pretty much all the other major institutions escaped. The only way to save the vulnerable population is to prevent them from ever facing the virus.