Hi
I have just come across this post, so my answer is a little late. This is definitely Italian - the handle style is typical of the roncola (plural roncole) or billhooks of Piemonté in northern Italy.
I have seen one without the point before for sale on eBay.it - I am uncertain of its purpose, but long single edged tools are still available today - e.g.
http://www.angelo-b.com/ab/catalog/p...x%5Fdd=074100& where for some reason it's called a mushroom billhook (Roncola funghi) also roncola frattarola (can't find a translation for this...) also sfrattarolla....
The point is shown on early illustrations of Roman vine pruning billhooks, where it is called the Mucro (see my website:
http://www.billhooks.co.uk/Etymology.htm)
The makers mark (GC) is very similar to one that I have in my collection, from Sicily, and is typically 19th century. Long roncole in the Swiss/Italian borders known as beidana (plural beidane) were used as weapons at a time when owning a weapon was forbidden (these developed from the shorter pattern of roncole with a back hook used in Swiss villages) - see:
http://alpicozie.legart.it/beidana/beidane65a.html
Perhaps this one was also intended as a weapon, but could be legally called a tool. Note the back hook can only be used back-handed, the hand guard prevents turning the tool in the hand to use it fore-handed (Italian double edged pennato (plural pennati) or double edged billhooks usually have round handles, and if fitted with a hand guard it is at right angles to the blade, not in line with it).
Single bevelled billhooks were fairly common in the UK, France, Germany and Italy - available for right handed and left handed users. This tool has both a right hand and left hand blade - but only one is usable (see above) - however it confirms its origin, and possibly its use, as a tool....
The beidane below is from Pino Costa (maker of reproductions) and the roncole on the red cloth from Carlo (both from Piemonté in North Italy)