Robert Harley, the 22-year-old Glasgow Warriors forward, is also set to make his first start at Murrayfield.
Harley, who scored the match-winning try against Samoa on his debut when he was introduced off the bench on the summer tour in the baking South Pacific heat, replaces the injured Alasdair Strokosch in the Scotland back-row.
The only other change to the starting line-up sees British Lion Ross Ford return at hooker in place of Dougie Hall, who sustained a knee injury in the Calcutta Cup match.
Scotland interim head coach Scott Johnson said: "Italy's victory against France in Rome was well-deserved and certainly didn't surprise us.
It will be a true Test match this weekend and it would be great to have a big vocal Murrayfield crowd supporting the boys this weekend."
Scotland team to play Italy
15 Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors) 11 caps, 2 tries, 10 points
14 Sean Maitland (Glasgow Warriors) 1 cap, 1 try, 5 points
13 Sean Lamont (Glasgow Warriors) 72 caps, 8 tries, 40 points
12 Matt Scott (Edinburgh Rugby) 8 caps
11 Tim Visser (Edinburgh Rugby) 6 caps, 4 tries, 20 points
10 Ruaridh Jackson (Glasgow Warriors) 16 caps, 2 conversions, 2 penalties, 2 drop-goals, 16 points
9 Greig Laidlaw (Edinburgh Rugby) vice captain 14 caps, 2 tries, 12 conversions and 24 penalties, 106 points
1 Ryan Grant (Glasgow Warriors) vice captain 6 caps
2 Ross Ford (Edinburgh Rugby) 64 caps, 2 tries, 10 points
3 Euan Murray (Worcester Warriors) 50 caps, 2 tries, 10 points
4 Richie Gray (Sale Sharks) 28 caps, 1 try. 5 points
5 Jim Hamilton (Gloucester) 42 caps, 1 try, 5 points
6 Robert Harley (Glasgow Warriors) 1 cap, 1 try, 5 points
7 Kelly Brown (Saracens) captain, 53 caps, 4 tries, 20 points
8 Johnnie Beattie (Montpellier) 17 caps, 3 tries, 15 points
Replacements
16 Dougie Hall (Glasgow Warriors) 40 caps, 1 try, 5 points or Pat MacArthur (Glasgow Warriors) uncapped
17 Moray Low (Glasgow Warriors) 15 caps
18 Geoff Cross (Edinburgh Rugby) 17 caps, 1 try, 5 points
19 Alastair Kellock (Glasgow Warriors) 48 caps, 1 try, 5 points
20 David Denton (Edinburgh Rugby) 10 caps
21 Henry Pyrgos (Glasgow Warriors) 4 caps, 1 try, 5 points
22 Duncan Weir (Glasgow Warriors) 2 caps, 1 conversion, 2 points
23 Max Evans (Castres) 33 caps, 3 tries, 15 points
