Bologna defeated Empoli 2-1 on Thursday night, reaching the final 5-1 on aggregate. Bologna will meet AC Milan in the Coppa final.
At the final whistle, Italiano enthused: “It was an objective, a dream of this city and the club. We achieved something wonderful, honouring the Coppa Italia since the start, because when you get to the final sprint, everyone wants to reach the Final.
“We dedicate this achievement to the crowd in this incredible stadium, who push the lads on from start to finish. We dedicate it to the people of Bologna with all our heart.
“I am happy to be in the Final. When I met with the owners, they said that they wanted to go all the way in a tournament, now there is one more step to take, but we are already in history by taking all these people with us to Rome,” continued Italiano.
“It was only normal there would be some initial hesitation, as after what the team achieved last season, they changed the coach and several key players.
"I think participating in the Champions League really helped us to improve in our mentality, intensity and strength, so we took those lessons with us into Serie A and the Coppa Italia."
"Anything can happen"
On facing the Rossonero, Italiano says the fans will play a huge role.
He added: "I just hope to have a great performance, to go into it with this level of self-esteem, then we’ll try to ride the wave of enthusiasm. We are up against a great team full of champions, but it’s a one-off match and anything can happen.
“We cannot wait to get to Rome with 30,000 fans behind us at the Stadio Olimpico.”