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BERLIN -- They are hung from the patios at the countless Italian restaurants and pizza joints around the Hackescher Market and Alexanderplatz.
You can even see the Italian flags waving near the chunk of the Berlin Wall that still stands, an area now livened by bustling nightlife.
It has been 24 years between World Cup drinks and tonight the Azzurri Nation, in full force here in the German capital, is ready to taste it, again.
Standing in the way, however, is a more contemporary winner of the grand prize of global sport, the 1998 champions from France.
It may not have been the most logical expectation when this tournament began 30 days and 63 matches ago.
And based on form, at least, it may not be the most scintillating pairing the World Cup final could offer.
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Yet the all-European affair is thick enough in both history and storylines to capture an anticipated audience of more than a billion viewers worldwide when it kicks off at historic Olympic Stadium.
The Italians, perennial powerhouse contenders but getting further removed from the feeling victory brings, are looking to become heroes to a new generation.
The French, meanwhile, are riding a buoyant wave of confidence after a slump in World Cup form following their one win eight years ago.
Led by their living legend, captain Zinedine Zidane, who will retire after tonight's game, Les Bleus will look to cap off his career in style.
While the Italians have been touted as favourites, their colourful coach, Marcello Lippi has been careful to caution both his players and the legion of anxious fans not to assume they are facing an inferior foe.
"This France team has won a World Cup (1998) and a European championship (2000), while this generation of (Italians) have only got close," said Lippi, who would become a hero at home should he bring back a fourth World Cup title. "That is what is on the table, we have the fork in our hand and let's see what happens."
Generations can come and go before even the greatest of soccer nations win. Lippi realizes the proud tradition his players are expected to uphold each time they are in a major international competition.
It is because of those demands that merely getting to the final, as the Azzurri did in 1994, is not enough.
"I refuse this talk of 'no matter how it goes, it will be a great occasion,'" Lippi said before his team made the trip from its training base in Duisburg to the German capital.
"How many times in your life do you get the chance to win the World Cup? We have to be furious if we lose."
From the rabid Azzurri fans in Toronto and throughout Canada, to Rome, to the prominent Italian population here in Germany, the pressure will be intense.
The Azzurri have not always been dominant in this tournament, but they've never truly been in danger of losing a match either.
They've built nicely in form and dramatic wins over Australia (1-0) in the round of 16 and Germany (2-0 in extra time) in the semi-finals have toughened their resolve.
"We are not going to disappoint," goaltender Gianluigi Buffon said. "We're going to play our game."
The French, meanwhile, were expected to be a write-off given they arrived with an aging lineup and following a 2002 Cup in which they didn't even score a goal.
But a brilliant three-game win streak the past two weeks over Spain, Brazil and Portugal to get here has them poised to take on the Azzurri.
"The final will give everybody wings," French coach Raymond Domenech said. "It is the inner belief that makes the difference."