The media here have joined the Italian public in celebrating the Azzurri heroes who beat hosts Germany 2-0 Tuesday to reach the World Cup final for the sixth time.
Two superb goals by Fabio Grosso and Alessandro Del Piero in the last minutes of extra time gave the Italians a deserved victory and sparked off a long night of celebrations. Thousands buzzed around city streets waving flags and honking the horns of scooters and cars, while pedestrians danced, embraced and sang the national anthem.
"Two great goals and Italy goes to the final," read the front-page headline of Corriere della Sera.
"We love you," beamed sport's daily Corriere dello Sport. "The Azzurri lions are in the final". During the night supporters in Bologna hung a tricolour flag on the city's famous statue of Neptune by Renaissance artist Giambologna.
In Rome fans celebrated by taking dips in some of the city's historic fountains. People in Naples toasted the success in typical Neapolitan style with a blitz of fireworks. Many paid tribute to the style of the victory and the fact that the Azzurri produced the better football and took the game to a team playing in front of its home crowd.
"We won in an unexpected way, by attacking," wrote Mario Sconcerti in Corriere della Sera. "The Germans did not expect such reactive, well-organized opponents.
"They thought we would wait and counter-attack. Instead we were simply better - much better".
Fans also took delight in taunting the parts of the German media which, during the pre-match polemics, suggested boycotting one of Italy's culinary delights, the pizza. "Eat this pizza, eat this pizza," supporters chanted in the capital.
The result was just reward for the courage and positive approach of Azzurri coach Marcello Lippi, who had four strikers on the field by the end of the game - Del Piero, Alberto Gilardino, Francesco Totti and Vincenzo Iaquinta. "We suffered, but the suffering makes us enjoy (the victory) even more," Lippi said.
"We are enormously satisfied. We deserved to win. We ran very few risks, they just had one shot on goal. "These lads are truly special".
Italy return to the World Cup final 12 years after losing to Brazil 3-2 on penalties in Pasadena, USA. The Azzurri also lost the 1970 final to Pele's Brazil, 4-1 in Mexico.
But Italy won the three other finals they took part in: 3-1 against West Germany in 1982; 4-2 against Hungary in 1938; and 2-1 against Czechoslovakia in 1934.
