Fiorentina qualified for the Europa League by holding Palermo at bay to win 3-2 at the Stadio Renzo Barbera.
Early goals from Josip Ilicic and Alberto Gilardino sandwiched a Mato Jajalo strike for Palermo, meaning the visitors controlled fifth place heading into half-time on Sicily.
They had to negotiate a fightback in the second half as Luca Rigoni drew the Rosanero level, before Marcos Alonso rubber-stamped all three points and a guaranteed top-six finish in Serie A.
Jasmin Kurtic was sent off for picking up his second yellow card in stoppage time, but mid-table Palermo had no time to respond.
Substitute Samuel Eto'o struck a last-gasp equaliser at Empoli but it was not enough as Sampdoria's hopes of playing in Europe next season ended following the 1-1 draw.
Manuel Pucciarelli gave Empoli a deserved lead in the 58th minute after team-mate Matias Vecino had been denied by the crossbar in the opening half. Eto'o pulled Samp level in stoppage time but the visitors could not find the winner.
Stephan El Shaarawy scored twice as AC Milan recaptured some of their fading flair with a 3-0 victory over Torino at San Siro -- but a top-half finish remains the best prize on offer.
Injuries and a chronic run of bad form have pushed El Shaarawy onto the margins of the first team during another disappointing season, so his first goal in almost seven months represented an encouraging tonic.
Giampaolo Pazzini's penalty and another clinical finish from El Shaarawy propelled Milan beyond ninth-placed Torino, who despite several poor recent results sit two points ahead of their hosts in the table.
Sassuolo defeated 10-man Udinese 1-0 to continue their strong finish to the season.
Francesco Magnanelli struck the only goal of the contest at the Friuli stadium in the 70th minute and Sassuolo held on for their third straight victory. Udinese had midfielder Guilherme sent off 10 minutes from time for a second yellow card.
The result sees Sassuolo, who beat AC Milan 3-2 in the previous round, rise to 12th in the standings with one game remaining while Udinese are left in 16th place with just two wins in their last 12 league games.
Veteran Hellas Verona hitman Luca Toni is well-placed to finish the season as the league's top scorer after hitting a brace to deny Parma one last home victory before relegation.
First-half goals from Antonio Nocerino and Silvestre Varela set basement boys Parma on a course to appease fans with a rare three-point haul at the Stadio Ennio Tardini, but 37-year-old Toni had other ideas.
He reached the 20-goal mark with a header just before half-time and pulled one goal clear of both Juventus' Carlos Tevez and Mauro Icardi of Inter Milan when making it 2-2 from the penalty spot 10 minutes from time.
Chievo remained unbeaten at home since Feb. 2 after finding a late equaliser to draw 1-1 against Atalanta.
The Flying Donkeys trailed 1-0 after Atalanta striker Alejandro Gomez's early second-half strike.
Atalanta looked to be heading for their first away win since January 18, only for Chievo substitute Sergio Pellissier to pull the hosts level two minutes from time. The result in Verona lifted Chievo into 14th place in Serie A.
A last-gasp winner from substitute Marco Sau lifted Cagliari to a 1-0 victory at Cesena in a battle of teams that have already been relegated from Serie A.
With the game goalless in the 90th minute, Sau silenced the home crowd when he got behind Albin Ekdal's pass and drilled a right-footed shot past Cesena goalkeeper Federico Agliardi.
The win, their seventh of the campaign, came a week too late for Cagliari.