The man was one of 56 Italian citizens evacuated earlier this week from the Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei province, the epicentre of the new virus that has killed more than 600 people.
Those evacuated from China were being held in quarantine for 14 days at a military base south of Rome.
The infected man was transferred to Rome’s Spallanzani infectious diseases hospital.
Two Chinese nationals on holiday in Italy were diagnosed with the virus last week and are being treated in isolation at the Spallanzani hospital.
The two victims, a woman and man in their 60s, are said to be in serious but stable condition.
They are receiving what the hospital described as “experimental” treatment with antiretroviral drugs typically used against HIV, but which have also shown signs of working against the new coronavirus.
Meanwhile all passengers arriving at Italian airports, including from Europe or on domestic flights, are being systematically scanned for higher than normal temperatures.
All direct flights between Italy and China remain suspended after the Italian government declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus last week.
