While the duo bagged the first European title in pair skating for Italy, compatriots Rebecca Ghilardi and Filippo Ambrosini brought more joy by adding a silver, also a first, in the discipline in Espoo.

Germany's Annika Hocke and Robert Kunkel settled for bronze.

Conti and Macii totalled 195.13 to take gold in a performance that included a triple toe-single axel-single axel, triple salchow, throw triple loop and salchow and a reverse lasso lift.

Ghilardi and Ambrosini finished second after earning 186.96 points overall while Hocke and Kunkel took bronze with 184.26 points.

"It means for us a lot, we really like to skate for our country and to represent it," Macii said. 

"This is the second time we make history for our country, so we are always proud of it.

"Of course it’s an achievement, and it was a dream to have a medal of any color at the European championships.

"So I think gold is something that goes beyond our imagination."

Stefania Berton and Ondrej Hotarek were the last Italian pair to win a medal in the category , when they took bronze at the ISU European Championships 10 years ago in 2013.

Meanwhile, Anastasiia Gubanova of Georgia is leading after the women's short programme. 

Gubanova's run included a triple flip-triple toe, double axel and triple lutz among others as she scored 69.81 points, performing to "Istanbul Wedding" and "Historiette No. 5".

"It was not ideal, but I did everything and I enjoyed skating," Gubanova told ISU.

"I have to forget about the short program and go into the free skating with a cool head, and do my job."

World silver medallist Loena Hendrickx of Belgium is currently second while 16-year-old Kimmy Repond of Switzerland came third after the first segment.

Hendrickx scored 67.85 points, and performed to "Mi Gente" and "Si Mama".

The ISU Grand Prix Final bronze medallist produced a triple flip, double axel but struggled with her triple lutz.

Repond, who is competing in her first European Championships, scored a personal best of 63.83 points.

Austrian Olga Mikutina is on fourth with 62.78 points while Ekaterina Kurakova of Poland placed fifth with 61.81 points, making it a tight race ahead of the women's free skating on Saturday (January 28).

The European Championships is scheduled to continue tomorrow with the rhythm dance and men's free skating events.