Six Nations or not, Italy being a football country first and foremost means rugby is not exactly dominating the websites of the Mediterranean nation's sports media.
But it is still interesting to see how they view the Ireland team before tomorrow's opening clash at the Stadio Olimpico.
Rome-based national sports daily Corriere dello Sport is not too different from the Irish media, in the sense that the choice of Ian Keatley at out-half and the return of Sean O'Brien to the starting lineup after a long injury absence, take precedence.
However, in a broader sense, the paper appears interested by the fact that it is Ireland's first Six Nations since the retirement of "symbol" Brian O'Driscoll - who will be previewing the tournament on Off The Ball tonight.
However, citing how Ireland had a superior win percentage than the mighty New Zealand in 2014 and are ranked in the world's Top three, "for Italy, the task appears forbidding". Confidence does not appear to be that high.
But Milan-based tabloid Gazzetta dello Sport does say that the atmosphere for Italy seems different to the eve of their famous win over Ireland in 2013.
Brian O'Driscoll playing against Italy in 2014 ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan
However, it does highlight the fact that the defending Six Nations champions continue to be on a roll since the last tournament, with November wins on the road to the upcoming World Cup.
Like Corriere dello Sport, the fact that it is the first Six Nations of the "post-Brian O'Driscoll era" is seen as a significant marker point from an Italian perspective.
TuttoSport, based in Turin, said Ireland were "from another planet" and were "too strong" in their match report for last year's 46-7 drubbing in Dublin, but are looking forward to welcoming up to 7,000 Irish tifosi (fans) to Rome.
The sports section of La Nazione, whose headquarters are in Florence, praises the triumvirate of Rob Kearney, Simon Zebo and Tommy Bowe as the best in the tournament.
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