Azzurri prop Martin Castrogiovanni has become the first Italian and only the second non-British rugby pro to win the English Premiership Player of the Season prize.
The award panel said the Leicester Tigers forward was "central" to his team's success in winning the EDF Energy Cup and reaching the English championship and Heineken Cup finals.
"This award is all the sweeter because it was totally unexpected," said Castrogiovanni, who has 43 Italy caps.
"It is my debut year in the English championship and injuries have frequently kept me off the field over the last few months.
"I want to thank all my team-mates, my club and the national team because I know that without them I would never have been able to achieve this".
Castrogiovanni joined Leicester last summer after six seasons with Italian club Calvisano.
He is the second overseas player to take the award, after Gloucester's South African flanker Jake Boer won in 2002/03.
The Argentine-born star will be unavailable for Saturday's Premiership showdown with Gloucester and next week's Heineken Cup final against Wasps because of a knee injury.
"Now I'm just thinking about regaining fitness. The World Cup in France is just around the corner," he said.
Castrogiovanni made his international debut in Italy's 64-10 defeat to New Zealand in June 2002.
A powerful scrummager and a dynamic presence in the loose, the 25-year-old has been a regular part of the Azzurri line-up ever since.
He won the Italian championship with Calvisano in 2005.
He was not the only Azzurri honoured by the Premiership award panel.
Gloucester and Italy captain Marco Bortolami was named captain of the Premiership dream team.
The 26-year-old lock will lead Gloucester, who have Italy prop Carlos Nieto in their squad too, into Saturday's Premiership final at Twickenham against Leicester.
He will also be spearheading the Azzurri's bid to reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in the autumn, after leading them to their best ever Six Nations showing this year with wins over Scotland and Wales.
