I have had enough trouble with Italian shipments that I just won't do business there any more. I have had enough things disappear in their mail or freight systems that it is more than a crapshoot whether I will ever see the thing or not. I have noticed that several others on eBay are specifically excluding sales and shipping to Italy, the problem is probably systemic over there.
On the other hand, I have bought a few things from eastern Europe and have never had a problem, even though it is very common to see people specifically exclude these countries in their listings.
The dollar is weak, now is the time to sell overseas...