Well one explaining factor could be that in Italy it is illegal to sell operator or sim-locked devices and demand compulsory contracts to tie the customer to a operator for a period of time.

I think its quite common that high-end devices are purchased through contracts, but suppose that in Italy this isn't the case. Maybe the biggest competition is between stores selling these devices "free".

EDIT: OK no, I stand corrected. Here's how it works specifically:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIM_lock#Italy

I think that this makes buying these smartphones on contract a bit more enticing.