Raising capital for investments in Italy was a Herculean task five years ago. The country found itself in the midst of the euro crisis, with many fearing it would leave the single currency bloc, adding further to its economic misery.

In 2011, just three private equity funds managed to collect capital from investors - and they raised only €500 million combined, a fraction of the €3.3 billion that was raised by nine funds in 2008, according to data provider Preqin.