I just purchased the Portuguese.
Previously, I had only used that plastic piece of trash. EWWWWWW! I didn't have the upper body strenght to use it, so I had to make my hubby do it. That think was HORRIBLE!
Since purchasing the new one, I've only bottled a few but so far, I LOVE IT! I let the hubby do a few and he was like, "Man, this is the way to go!"
BTW, I found mine at the best price at LHBS, was only $59.99. After checking web pricing, I think Northernbrewer.com had the best price after shipping ($7.99 flat-rate). I think there may have been one on Ebay that was like $2 cheaper.
I haven't used an Italian, but I pumpkinman's assessment is about on-spot! I'm research minded and decided to go Portuguese. It's your call though.