The front levers have always been notorious. Cycle or the other American magazine, said that one needed the hands of Wilt Chamberlain (look him up) and the strength of Godzilla to operate them. But this may be consistent with Guzzi's own plan for the front lever.
Guzzi meant the front lever to be an emergency brake, to supplement the integral brakes when needed. The integral brake pedal can be stomped on in an emergency without skidding the front wheel, at least on pavement. I've tried this and found it works great.
Since the integral system works well, it can be extra dangerous to grab the front lever in an emergency. Better to cover the rear brake pedal and leave the front lever for later on in your braking emergency. Hence there is no particular problem to get your fingers up around the lever as your braking event unfolds, and then to apply it judiciously.
To steal a line, Guzzi wants you to think different.