you need to consider that Italy from '50s to 1992 had the powerful communist party in western countries.

It wasn't a mystery a collaboration between Italian companies and Soviet Union. During '70s FIAT transferred know-how to a Soviet carmaker, even a city was named Togliatti (an Italian politician).

That's why Italy was always under CIA control, the period '60-'80s was called "strategia della tensione" (Strategy of Tension), even a Prime Minister was killed in 1978.

For those who likes history and spy stories is interesting to deep dive.