Argentina bounced back from last week's heavy Nations Championship defeat in Ireland as they held on to beat Italy 19-14 in Genoa.
The visitors were forced to fight back from behind then breathed a sigh of relief when Alessandro Garbisi's last-minute penalty kick strayed beyond the try line.
Monty Ioane scored the opening try for Italy who dominated the early stages and were unlucky to reach half-time on level terms after Bautista Bernasconi's converted effort.
Argentina took control in the second half with tries from Rodrigo Isgro and Matteo Carreras helping to nudge them 19-7 clear, before a penalty try gave Italy hope, and the South Americans hung on despite losing both Joel Sclavi and Efraín Elías to yellow cards.