Not better than all other countries in Europe, but a substantial number.

Italy's awful University system is well documented eg http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/family-fiefdo...

Look at these rankings for example, the UK is right up at the top, followed by Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany and France, but many other countries are right down the list. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-ranki...