The problem with Italy this year is that the number of total points gained in a season is divided by the number of teams it has in Europe. We had 7 teams in Europe but Roma and Palermo got no points for us since they got eliminated before the group stage of the EL. France had 6 teams, which means that their total is divided by 6 instead of 7. France had 2 teams in the Group phase of the EL(their 6th team didn't qualify) and 3 teams in the Group phase of the CL, While Italy had 2 and 3.
Therefore, France and Italy both had 5 teams in the group stages but Italy's total points were divided by 7, while France by 6. This is why France has 1,5 point more than Italy currently even though we have 5 teams still in Europe while they only have 2.
Italy's coefficient for this season will most likely be higher than France's but if it is tight at the moment, it is thanks to Roma and Palermo.