I'm so sorry for it... Please keep on trying and don't discourage!
Concerning your question, I'm pretty sure that they choose a reasonable amount of people for each country (like 50-100?). I've noticed that while checking their annual report. So maybe, that number (252) was related to Italy MA applicants only... But that's just a supposition. Maybe the report includes different programs too, like Phd and BA? I don't know
In a Facebook group, I've actually read that some Italian MA All Disciplines applicants haven't face the preselection interview yet... Daad Italia seems to be on a pretty late schedule comparing to other international offices.
I'm Italian too, but I've applied for DAAD GSSP Phd, which is a call directly managed by Daad offices in Bonn.