Poland of the early 50s was a pretty shitty place to live, especially as an independent thinker. While I am not familiar with the situation in Italy in the 50s, I am very familiar with the situation in Poland. It was a heavy handed state, happy to execute it's own citizens, and using plenty of propaganda in the state-controlled media too. So I have no clue whether your comparison with Italy is correct or not, but the statement from the New Yorker is hardly factually incorrect.