Wales shot out to a 17-3 first-half lead at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on Saturday through tries to Alex Cuthbert and Scott Williams, but the visitors, featuring an inexperienced backline, showed plenty of fight as they went into the final 10 minutes trailing by five points, on the back of two fine tries to Michele Campagnaro.
A third penalty to Leigh Halfpenny, who minutes earlier had set up Campagnaro's second try with a wayward pass that the centre intercepted, sealed the points for the hosts, and ensured they avoided a repeat of 2013 when they lost their opener to Ireland.
While traditional battlers Italy showed plenty of encouraging signs, Wales know they will have tougher challenges to come as they seek to become the first team to win three titles outright.
Despite his side failing to completely convince, Gatland said there were enough positive signs to indicate they were on the right track ahead of Saturday's clash with Ireland in Dublin.
"It was a bit stop start at times, we need to tidy up a few things and we need to be a bit more accurate," Gatland told the Welsh Rugby Union website.
"I thought we ran some nice lines and our support was fantastic. There were maybe another couple of chances we could have taken but another week together will be great for everyone.
"You have to give Italy credit. They kept the ball well but there were some positives from our point of view. We scored some nice tries and when we kept the ball in play, I thought we looked dangerous."
FORWARD BATTLE
The Welsh backline showed some nice touches, without ever suggesting they were capable of fully cutting lose, but the forward pack found themselves in a battle and struggled at scrum time in particular.
Number eight Taulupe Faletau was as incisive as usual, but some of his fellow forwards flagged as the match progressed.
Gatland dismissed any suggestion that next week's clash with Ireland would be a personal battle between himself and Brian O'Driscoll, after the New Zealander controversially dropped the veteran centre for the final British and Irish Lions test against Australia last year.
"As far as I am concerned, that's dead and gone," Gatland said to reporters.
"It's not about Brian and myself. Brian has moved on, I have moved on. It is about 46 players and two nations playing an international next weekend.
"The game is more important than myself and Brian, and if people want to make an issue out of that for next week, to me it is just lazy journalism. Move on."
Ireland host Scotland in the final match of the first round later on Sunday.
Italy were forced to name an inexperienced backline, and other than an early mistake by wing Angelo Esposito on debut, whose failure to secure a routine grubber by Rhys Priestland allowed Cuthbert to score in the fourth minute, they performed well.
Standout was Campagnaro, 20, who took his tally to three tries in three tests, even if there was a hint of a forward pass in the lead up to his first score.
"We are very proud of how the team performed," coach Jacques Brunel said.
"We had two main targets and one was to be strong in defence. I can say we achieved that despite making two mistakes. The average age in our backs was just 22 and they should take confidence from this performance."
(Reporting By Josh Reich; Editing by Rex Gowar)
