Nigel, as is my habit while motoring through any countryside, I spent a month last year touring primarily around Campania, La Costiera, Amalfitana and Salerno, only to spot many golfy looking locations. The land south of Salerno and on the Adriactic south of Pescara along both coasts and inland looks very conducive to sand barrens and heathland golf. Unfortunately, I did not see any courses or hear of people speak of playing the game. I think that Italian development regulations, land prices, and water restrictions are too much to overcome in most cases, and golf just hasn't flourished.
However, our friend Russell Talley has some information about work his design group has done or will do in Italia. I have forgotten the details. Perhaps he will see this and comment.
I would love to be among a vanguard to introduce golf to the people of my family's home area mentioned above. They are passionate about sports once they get into it. They strike me as folks that would love the game if they had opportunities to play. But, their attention has never been turned towards golf.
Sport eating and wine drinking ones way up and down the coast in between stops at antiquities and art museums is probably the better play in Italia.