Hi Nicster,
I live in Italy (20+ years) and here there does not seem to be a real "yacht surveyor" in the same way as in England, France etc. The closest you will find is probably an architect who specializes in boat design. Most people just get a knowledgeable friend to have a look over the boat whilst it is hauled out of the water (at the buyers expense!). This is not really very satisfactory from a buyers point of view. My boat is registered in Italy, and every so often (8 years from new, then every five years) you have to have a R.I.N.A. (equivalent to a T.U.F.) inspection performed to certify that the boat is seaworthy and has all the required safety gear; however the person performing this inspection is just someone from a local office who is seconded by the national body (RINA) to perform these inspections; he does not have to be an engineer, architect or whatever!!! This is typical of Italy where we have to collect a load of meaningless paperwork (and pay for the privilege) just to keep the bureaucracy happy!!!
So, if it was me I would seriously consider flying someone in, even from the UK and give yourself some peace of mind - there are a lot of poorly maintained boats in Italy!!!! and any agency involved have absolutely no interest other than getting their 10%.
Be very wary of everything in Italy as there are a lot of scams etc. Also having a Notary draw up a sales agreement does not have the same meaning as it does in England; the Notary just writes down what ever he is told by the two parties and gives you a signed agreement (same for buying a house, except that now he has to check for any outstanding loans on the house!!!).
Good luck and be wary of everything/everyone!!!
Alan.