Bernd Wiesberger and Hennie Otto led the way, but Francesco Molinari remained in contention for a second European Tour title on home soil on the second day of the 71° OPEN D'ITALIA Presented by DAMIANI.
Stephen Gallacher is the only player who controls his Ryder Cup destiny in the final qualifying event, the Scot needing to finish in the top two to dislodge Graeme McDowell from the team.
However, it was Molinari who did most to boost his chances of a third successive appearance in the biennial event with an opening 66 to claim a share of the overnight lead with Austrian Bernd Wiesberger.
That meant Gallacher found himself six shots off the pace following an erratic 72 on Thursday and that deficit became eight shots as Wiesberger and South African Hennie Otto moved to eight under par.
Wiesberger had started from the tenth and picked up birdies on the 12th - after a superb greenside bunker shot - and the par three 16th.
Otto, who carded an opening 67, had started on the other side of the course and picked up shots on the first, second and fourth to join Wiesberger at the top of the leaderboard.
Scotland's Richie Ramsay and Denmark's Morten Ørum Madsen were a shot behind after picking up two and three shots respectively, with Molinari another shot back on six under.
The home favourite, who began playing golf at Circolo Golf Torino aged eight, almost holed his tee shot on the par three 13th to set up an easy birdie, but bogeyed the short 16th after finding sand off the tee.
