I went to Italy today and the first sight that greeted me was a sullen fisherman holding a rusty fishing rod waiting in a daze for a fish to be hooked.
This place has turned into a ghost town and it no longer is crowded as it was before. I thought, it has been placed in a very wrong location. So I will offer some suggestions.
First, ITALY - by the looks of it - should be a crowded and public area with many people just like start park. But for it to be a public and crowded area it has to be inviting, open and easily accessible. Locating it under a bridge where you have to grab a gondola makes the journey to ITALY seemingly a chore and makes the place obscure (It isn't open nor easily accessible). A town like this shouldn't be located in such an area ( a gang hideout would be more appropriate , but not a town). So, I suggest you expand the map to put ITALY on an island that can be seen on gmap - OR - expand southridge to put ITALY in it.
Second, ITALY lacks features that attract players. Maybe consider adding PK zones, hospitals, subway stations, trade tables and bases. With mostly shops in the place, it will become a ghost town after players satisfy their curiosity of the place.