In 2007-08, Roma claimed two of the three domestic trophies at stake, the Super Cup and Coppa Italia. They also came within a whisker of clinching a first league title since 2001 but their admirable last-ditch attempt proved futile on the very last day of the campaign.
The team from the capital were well behind Inter during Yuletide but unlike the previous year they did not give up the chase and started to mount the pressure on the leaders.
Eventually, Inter just managed to claim the title for the third time running with Luciano Spalletti's outfit finishing worthy runners-up, only three points behind.
There was general consensus among the critics of the game in Italy that Roma played the best and most refreshing football in the Serie A last season. When shifting to attack mode, Rome got the results they wanted and they did that in style as well.
Even in the Champions League, Spalletti led his team to the quarter-finals for the second successive year. But, as happened in season 2006/07, they were ousted by Manchester United, this year's European Cup winners.
Roma's shortfalls were mainly two - their inability to close matches and not possessing the killing instinct to win games even on off-days. But, all in all, it was a year to remember for Spalletti and his players.
Inter's campaign was full of contrasts. The Nerazzurri were twice beaten by Roma in the Super Cup and Coppa Italia finals and seriously risked giving away the scudetto when at one point they had led by 11 points.
Inter were simply outstanding until December but from January onwards they ran out of steam and were knocked out of the Champions League by Liverpool in the second round.
Overall, Inter's season was not that bad albeit one can safely say that they underperformed in no small way. In fact, when compared to the previous year, Inter finished with a tally of 85 points, 12 less than 2007.
With the squad Roberto Mancini had at his disposal, Inter should have secured the league title with weeks to spare and, perhaps, enjoyed a better run in Europe. In the end, Mancini lost his job as Roma almost pipped Inter to the post.
Cesare Prandelli's Fiorentina, shorn of prolific striker Luca Toni, who moved to Bayern Munich last summer, had a creditable showing even though they collected seven points less with respect to 12 months before.
The Viola not only finished fourth and claimed the last-remaining Champions League berth at the expense of a more-quoted Milan side, but they also came close to reaching the UEFA Cup final.
All three newcomers in the Serie A last season - Juventus, Napoli and Genoa - were among the most pleasant surprise packages in 2007/08.
Juve finished third in the final standings despite being in a transitory period of reconstruction under new coach Claudio Ranieri.
He brought the best out of the 'old guard' as most of Juve's new signings failed to leave their mark.
Napoli and Genoa were never involved in the relegation battle.
On the contrary, there were times when these two teams were battling it out for a UEFA Cup spot. No mean feat for two clubs who had been in the doldrums of the lower divisions for several years.
Sampdoria and Udinese both improved their tally of points by a remarkable 11 over the previous season.
New coaches Walter Mazzarri and Pasquale Marino confirmed the good job done at Reggina and Catania before taking up their new posts as they helped Samp and Udinese to attain UEFA Cup qualification without really spending big on the transfer market.
Atalanta, under the charge of Luigi Del Neri, lacked consistency at times but were never in danger of going down.
By season end, Atalanta finished in a trouble-free mid-table position.