Yeah, the 70s and 80s were a pretty rough time in Italy. They're known as the "Years of Lead" (referring to the number of shooting attacks - lead being a synonym for bullets). Internal political terrorism - from both far-left and far-right groups - was at an all-time high. You were likely experiencing the aftermath of the Fiumicino airport shooting in December of 1973. In May of '74 a bomb claimed the lives of 8 more people during a street protest in Brescia: if you were in Italy in spring, you likely missed this other terror attack by mere days.