See main article: 2005 Italian Open (tennis). Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi were the defending champions, but played this tournament with different partners. Bhupathi teamed up with Todd Woodbridge while Mirnyi teamed up with Jonas Björkman. Both pairs were eliminated in semifinals.
Michaël Llodra and Fabrice Santoro won the title, defeating Bob and Mike Bryan 6–4, 6–2 in the final.
All seeds received a bye into the second round.