ROME - Italy produced a breathtaking display to hand Ireland a 22-15 defeat on what was Andrea Lo Cicero's 103rd and final appearance for the Azzurri and possibly Brian O'Driscoll's last game in an Irish shirt.
Italy had started this campaign with a 23-18 victory over France and after defeats to Scotland, England and Wales ended it with another deserved win over one of the pre-tournament favourites.
It was Italy's fourth win over the Irish but first in the Six Nations.
"Today we were up against great players like Keith Earls and Brian O'Driscoll, but we've proved that there's no reason we should be envying them," said Italy captain Sergio Parisse.
"This tournament has given us a lot of satisfaction because we've managed to put a lot of other teams under pressure and impose our own game."
Italy have now won twice in the Six Nations for only the second time, the last being in 2007.