Sergio Parisse led Italy in emotional celebrations after their victory over Scotland last Saturday © Getty Images

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Italy may have been whitewashed last year but their 15 seasons in the Six Nations have been a hell of a lot of fun. There's been the atmosphere at Stadios Flaminio and Olimpico, that magnificent anthem, some glorious kits and a whole host of spectacular personalities - Alessandro Troncon, Sergio Parisse and Martin Castrogiovanni, to name but a few. Wins have been hard to come by which has made them very special when they have come around. Here are seven of the Azzurri's best.

The debut: Italy 34-20 Scotland, 2000

What a way to usher in a new era. Italy went in to their first ever game in the Championship 250-1 outsiders to win the competition and up against the champions first. Appropriately, it was an old hand who swept them to a debut triumph, with 33-year-old fly-half Diego Dominguez kicking 29 points - six penalties, a conversion, two drop-goals and an individual record in the old competition and the new (until Jonny Wilkinson put 35 on the new boys a year later). It was a pretty emphatic two fingers to all those who'd questioned the competition's expansion and their right to take part. Just months before, they'd conceded a century to the All Blacks at the '99 World Cup. Italy's new Kiwi coach, Brad Johnstone, was all talk at full-time, saying: "Everyone expected us to be useless. Some people in Britain were even saying that we shouldn't be in this competition. They were asking questions about our credentials. Well, I told you we were good. I just feel sorry for the Scots, because they got us first."

Same as before: Italy 30-22 Wales, 2003

Diego Dominguez inspired Italy to victory over Wales © Getty Images

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For all Johnstone's bluster, the Italians had to endure 14 losses before they tasted Six Nations victory again and this one had similarities to the first - a heavily criticised team, with their place in the competition questioned. They were supposedly visitors who weren't the force of old, but inspired by Diego Dominguez all the same. Wales were abject and this was the opening game of a campaign in which a pretty handy set of players (many of whom would win a Grand Slam two years on) were whitewashed. The Italians showed the sorts of vim, vigour, pluck and power that would mark all of their subsequent Six Nations victories. Dominguez and Troncon were once more a controlling influence, while the front-row bullied Wales and set up and scored tries to create one of those rare days that rugby could trump calcio and claim the back pages as its own.

On the road: Scotland 17-37 Italy, 2007

Italy have fed off scraps throughout their Six Nations history and they had to play seven seasons before chalking up a win on the road. When they did notch an away win, however, they did it in some style, as they scored three tries in the first six minutes at Murrayfield. Admittedly, this was as much down to Scottish ineptitude as Italian excellence, with the hosts - wearing a vile orange on white jersey - produced a simply horrendous start from which even the world's finest sides wouldn't recover.

Inside 90 seconds, fly-half Phil Godman had a chip charged down on his own line, with Mauro Bergamasco profiting, before a pair of Chris Cusiter passes - one short and aimed at Rob Dewey, the other long for Hugo Southwell - found Italian hands and the visitors were 21-0 up before most of the crowd were in their seats. From there, it was cruise control for the Italians as they ran out 37-17 winners, with Troncon crossing in the second half. 2007 also saw the Italians topple Wales in a far tighter finish as James Hook kicked a penalty to the corner and the referee blew for full time.

Late Show: Italy 23-20 Scotland, 2008

Andrea Marcato was the hero with this drop goal © Getty Images

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A win over the Scots again, but Italy's triumph in 2008 was a good deal more dramatic than it had been a year earlier, as Scotland chose to show up. It required a late drop-goal from full-back Andrea Marcato - a man who looked set to be a bit of a gem before fading - to nab them the win. This was the final game of the Championship - Scotland had beaten England a week earlier for their only win, but the Azzurri were going into the match facing a fourth whitewash in nine seasons. The Scots scored twice in the game's first quarter (the most they'd managed in 80 minutes in seven previous games) and the Italians were up against it. But a penalty score and another for Gonzalo Canale got them back into the game and, with the scoreboard locked at 20 apiece, Marcato knocked over a drop-goal with the game's last kick to break Scottish hearts.

Sacre Bleu: Italy 22-21 France, 2011

It may be some time before Italy record a more famous Six Nations win than this one. Notable were both the scalp, which was a major milestone, and the manner in which they beat the French. Les Bleus led from the 14th to the 74th minute and it took a mighty nudge from the touchline from stalwart back Mirco Bergamasco to finally give the Italians the lead. Like so many of the finest Italian wins, this one was built around a huge forward effort, with Sergio Parisse and Martin Castrogiovanni on the frontline. There was a time when, 18-6 down to the French - even with the vociferous support of the Stadio Flaminio behind them - the Italians would have wilted and taken a pasting. Even after Bergamasco held his nerve, there was more torture to come, as they had to fend off three reset French scrums on their own line. Survive they did and a famous win was sealed.

Novelty not wearing off: Italy 23-18 France, 2013

Luciano Orquera took control in Rome © Getty Images

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In the opening round two years on, the Italians gave the French a repeat dose of their 2011 misery. It was a stark reminder that the Italians were no longer the shambles of yore, just here to make up numbers or pull off one-off victories. They'd done it once and could do it again. France went into the competition as one of the favourites after an impressive autumn series but were behind from the off in Rome as Parisse crossed and fly-half Luciano Orquera took control, converting the score and adding a penalty and a drop-goal. Louis Picamoles and Benjamin Fall scored to haul the French into the lead at the break - once again a position that would once have proved too challenging for the Italians - but Castro crossed to regain the lead, which wasn't to be surrendered.

One mountain left to scale: Italy 22-15 Ireland, 2013

So, the Italians had begun their campaign in style but all that went to waste with defeats in Edinburgh, London and at home to the Welsh, with only a gutsy, party-pooping performance at Twickenham in a 18-11 defeat to be truly proud of. But there was one more peak to be scaled as the final game saw them down Ireland for the first time in the Championship. The result saw them finish above both the wooden-spooned French and Ireland, who'd played out a bore draw in round four.

Defeat turned out to be a turning point for the Irish as their insipid and undisciplined performance saw Declan Kidney lose his job and they would go on to win the Championship in Joe Schmidt's first season in charge. But this day was all about the Italians, who were excellent. It was a case of the usual suspects, with Parisse talismanic and Orquera's boot the guiding influence. It gave them that fourth-placed finished and left them with just one of the other five nations to conquer - England.