Grand Slam hunting Ireland escaped Roman ruin at the end of a dramatic Stadio Olimpico encounter.
Three wins from three in this year's Six Nations, with another winning bonus point bagged, puts Andy Farrell's side in a very strong position heading to Murrayfield in just over a fortnight's time.
Mack Hansen, who scored two of Ireland's five tries, picked up the man of the match award and it was a victory secured without the team's influential skipper Johnny Sexton, as well as a number of other regular starters.
But make no mistake, this was tough going for the men in green and the contest wasn't wrapped up until Hansen's outstanding try eight minutes from time.
With half-backs Ross Byrne and Craig Casey starting a first Six Nations game - and starting together for the first time - Italy sensed an opportunity to ambush Ireland a decade on from their famous 2013 victory.
Boosted by an intercept try on the stroke of half-time, they stayed with the world's top ranked team until that important last Hansen score.
In fact, in an exciting final quarter, Kieran Crowley's men blew a chance to draw level and they were made to pay.
Having highlighted the chances that Ireland butchered last time out against France, Farrell will be disappointed that a bunch more went the same way, even if they did score four tries before the break.
They put away one of two golden try-scoring chances created in the opening three minutes.
James Lowe dropped the first when he attempted to touch down one-handed when tackled by the Azzurri's golden boy Ange Capuozzo.
The Leinster winger redeemed himself soon after by delivering the assist for captain on the day James Ryan to dive over - Bundee Aki's off-load out of two tackles that was the highlight of a scintillating move.
Byrne missed the conversion and, thrillingly for the home crowd, Italy stormed back to take a 7-5 lead in the seventh minute.
Lorenzo Cannone's powerful run brought his side to Ireland's five metre line and, as Hugo Keenan got up out of the tackle and spun to provide cover, the hosts' scrum-half Stephen Varney ghosted past the full-back to score.
Paolo Garbisi added the extras and it was game on. Iain Henderson was pinged for a high tackle and Italy's no 8 Cannone was quickly surging forward again, but Andrew Porter came up with a crucial turnover to snuff out the danger.
And Ireland responded with a magnificent Keenan try in the 13th minute.
Byrne combined with Hansen, who came in off his wing to get involved, and his flat pass released Aki into a midfield gap.
The Connacht centre found Keenan, who still had loads to do but he shrugged off one tackle, then spun out of Michele Lamaro's challenge to race in. Byrne tapped over the conversion and Ireland moved 12-7 ahead.
The lead was cut to three before the first quarter was done, though it could have been worse for Farrell's side.
Casey's scrambling defence denied Pierre Bruno a try, but the winger was bumped by Hansen as he kicked and chased ahead and Garbisi nailed the resultant penalty.
Seconds later, Italy were attacking in their own half and had men over on the left flank. However Lowe came up with a crucial turnover and the charging Josh van der Flier fed the winger, whose inside pass was finished in the corner by Aki.
Byrne nailed the tough conversion for a 19-10 lead but his side put themselves under necessary pressure when Lowe had to stretch for Casey's pass and knocked on his own five metre line.
However Caelan Doris produced a big turnover and Lowe boomed a clearance into Italy's half.
As the half hour approached, Casey pilfered ruck ball but had his kick chase unceremoniously halted as he ran into the towering Niccolo Cannone, with no card issued by ref Mike Adamson.
The visitors patiently built pressure, but Porter ran into van der Flier as he sprinted close to the try line and the Azzurri were relieved to clear their lines.
It was but a brief respite. From the second tap penalty five metres out, Stuart McCloskey's skip pass gave Hansen the space to cruise in at the corner for the fourth try and the bonus point.
Ireland lost Finlay Bealham at the same time, however - the tighthead suffered a knee injury just prior to the try, and Tom O'Toole was on in his place.
Doris' clever backheel turnover gave his team the platform to push for one more score before the break.
Instead, Aki's attempted pass to Byrne in midfield was picked off by Bruno, and there was no-one near him as he steamed in to score under the posts. Garbisi's conversion made it a seven point game at the interval.
Thus Ireland wanted a strong start to the second half in keeping with their previous two outings, but they quickly conceded a penalty that gave their rivals territory.
O'Toole earned his corn with not one, but two scrum wins in quick succession and the second allowed Byrne to make it 27-17 in the 47th minute.
It was the cue for the men in green to pile on more pressure but they were met by stout resistance. And, when Byrne kicked a penalty to the corner, Doris was beaten in the lineout and another chance was gone.
If the visitors needed reminding that Italy were still a threat they got it from Capuozzo break, with McCloskey forced to go high to stop the full-back's run.
Then Porter's obstruction on Juan Ignacio Brex gifted the Azzurri a handy penalty that Garbisi kicked over to make it 24-20.
That was the signal for the introduction of Peter O'Mahony and Dan Sheehan as Farrell but yet another great chance went a-begging.
Aki took Hansen's inside pass and used his momentum to get over when tackled by Nicollo Cannone, but replays showed he knocked on as he slid towards the try line.
Still, Ryan Baird, who had replaced Henderson, produced a big turnover just outside the hosts' 22 and Byrne's three-pointer made it 27-20 on 64 minutes.
Italy came hunting the converted try that would level it up - and they nearly nicked it.
Sub Giovanni Pettinelli's break brought his side into Ireland's 22 but Brex's kick looking for Alessandro Fusco in the left corner was over hit and bounced into touch, much to Ireland's relief.
It was too close for comfort and the visitors needed to close this one out. Conor Murray, who had replaced Casey, came up with a class off-load to release Hansen.
The Connacht flyer glided past Capuozzo for the killer try, and Byrne finished the scoring off the tee.
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