Italic

It may be a question which is important only for graphics and a few more philologists (like myself), but why italic is called italic? 

Is it related to something Italian?

The italics (in English marked also as italic) takes its name from the famous Venetian printer Aldo Manuzio who, at the beginning of the sixteenth century, spread this kind of slanted font, designed by Francesco Griffo, typographer from Bologna. 

He had been inspired by humanists such as Poggio Bracciolini, Coluccio and Niccolo Niccoli, who had promoted the introduction of humanistic script, in reaction to the dark Gothic script which earlier had already criticized Francesco Petrarca.

I present you also the definition from the etymological dictionary:

italic (adj.)

"type of printing with lines sloping to the right," 1610s, from Latin italicus "Italian, of Italy," from Italia (see Italy). So called because it was introduced in 1501 by Aldus Manutius, printer of Venice (who also gave his name to Aldine), and first used in his edition of Virgil, which was dedicated to Italy. As a noun, "italic type," 1670s.

[Italics] pull up the reader and tell him not to read heedlessly on, or he will miss some peculiarity in the italicized word. [Fowler]

Earlier (1570s) the word was used in English for the plain, sloping style of handwriting (opposed to gothic), and italic printing sometimes in English was called cursive (and also Aldine). Often, but not always, for emphasis; in manuscripts indicated by an underscored line. Related: Italics.

The Italic words in the Old and New Testament are those, which have no corresponding words in the original Hebrew or Greek; but are added by the translators, to complete or explain the sense. [Joseph Robertson, "An Essay on Punctuation," 1785]