Luna Rossa's America's Cup adventure ended Wednesday when Team New Zealand completed a 5-0 whitewash of them in the Louis Vuitton Cup (LVC) final in Valencia.
The Kiwis will now challenge America's Cup holders Alinghi of Switzerland for sailing's most coveted trophy in another first-to-five series, which starts June 23.
The result is a repeat of the 2000 America's Cup match race, when then holders New Zealand thrashed the Italian team, who had won the LVC at the first attempt.
"Our opponents were good, they worked well," said Luna Rossa skipper Francesco de Angelis on Italian television.
"But the score does not reflect the real difference between the crews and the boats, just like it didn't in the semi-finals when we beat BMW Oracle (5-1).
"Sometimes things went right for them and they didn't for us.
"I congratulate my crew anyway because they reached the final, which wasn't easy".
Luna Rossa managed to defend the preferred right side of the course at the start of Wednesday's regatta and built up a 20-meter lead in the first leg.
But their failure to engage the Kiwis in a zig-zag tacking duel enabled Team New Zealand to take command.
The difference in the speed of the two boats was not as great as on the previous days, probably thanks to some technical changes made to Luna Rossa's ITA94 yacht overnight.
The Italians were able to keep the race interesting right till the end as a result.
But ultimately, they were outgunned again and the Kiwis won by 22 seconds.
"That's sport. They won and we finished second," added de Angelis. "But we go out with our heads high".
Although they have taken a heavy beating, Luna Rossa can take some solace from having done better than they did last time out.
In 2002-2003 they were knocked out in the LVC semi-finals by US team One World.
Team New Zealand now have the chance to avenge the whitewash Alinghi dealt them in the 2003 America's Cup match race.
It is the second time the Kiwis have won the LVC.
In 1995 the New Zealanders lifted the trophy on the way to beating Young America in San Diego in the America's Cup match race.
Team New Zealand skipper Brad Butterworth said his team's victory was "not too surprising" because it had performed "really well during the competition".
