There is one thing in Italy that you can’t joke about, and that is football (or soccer).
Italians are ready to talk about and make fun of themselves over just about anything, but don’t ever risk speaking badly about the “azzurri” or any team that your interlocutor follows.
Matches between Italy and France are now considered as a “European derby”, or even an international one.
The French and Italians challenge each other in fashion, cuisine, cars and now also in football.
This is a story that has now been going on for some years.
In 2002 France won the European championship, beating Italy with a “golden goal”.
In 2004 Italy was eliminated by France in the final eight round of the world cup, on penalties.
In 2006 Italy got itself a victory in the world cup with penalty shots, after the now famous Zidane head butt on Materazzi.
For the Italians, winning against France is now extremely important, and the French definitely reciprocate in kind.