Already winners of Samoa last week, the Italians made the difference thanks to three tries from Pierre Bruno (18th) and Ange Capuozzo (25th, 64th), at the conclusion of two spectacular combinations.
Led throughout the match, the Wallabies could have won on the wire if Ben Donaldson, barely entering the game, had converted the try scored by Neville in the 81st minute.
But the failure of the young opening half, who honored his first selection, allowed the Italians to sign a historic victory, the first in 19 confrontations between the two teams.
Handicapped by the last minute package of its opener Paolo Garbisi, replaced by Tommaso Allan, the Azzurri could even have increased the score if they had not missed 14 points at the foot.
Australia, largely overhauled and struggling on the wings, managed to stay in the match with tries from Wright (31st) and McReight (44th) before restarting the scoring through Robertson (68th).
Already beaten by the wire by the Blues last Saturday (30-29), the Australians will conclude their November tour against Ireland next Saturday while the Nazionale will host South Africa.
