That leaves Zebre with 22 defeats from as many games this season, but having come close on a host of occasions both at home and away, Bortolami believes there is a lot to build on heading into the new season.
He said: "It's a shame because some little things cost us, losing by just two points. In the first half we scored two tries and played with a soft defence.
"It was one of the best performances of the last few weeks, certainly since I came back in February.
"A little more discipline in the second half and we would have been comfortable. We will start from here next season, conscious that the starting point is certainly better than it was last summer.
"We were equal to a team which got to the semi-finals of the Heineken Cup: we need to have faith in the work we have done, and to work hard because there are huge margins for improvement and only hard work pays at this level.
"Lots of young, inexperienced players have learned what this level is this year: they have grown, even if it's not yet enough. I have faith and we need to build on these signs of improvement."
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