The time for photo opportunities and warm smiles is almost over. Now, two Italian titans are set to duel in Perth as football fever sweeps through the city.

Perth’s Calcio Italiano football festival is set to begin with a bang on Wednesday night when cross-town rivals and global sporting superpowers AC Milan and Inter Milan treat Optus Stadium to a blockbuster.

Arguably the highlight of the week-long football festival, local fans will be treated to a rare Derby della Madonnina outside of Italy as two of Europe’s biggest clubs escalate their pre-season campaigns in Perth.

But while AC Milan coach Ruben Amorim and Inter counterpart Cristian Chivu greeted each other warmly at their pre-game media opportunity on Tuesday, Amorim said the niceties would be exclusive to pre and post-game.

“First of all, when you are outside the pitch, you can be a normal person and you can think a little bit,” he said.

‘When you get inside the pitch, it is a different story.

“We know what it means for our fans. This kind of game, it doesn’t matter if it’s a friendly.”

And while pre-season bragging rights were of interest to Chivu, the Inter defender-turned-title-winning coach said it was also a great opportunity to sell Italian football rather than one team or the other.

“You should support Italian football. Talking about fans, football fans, rather AC or Inter Milan supporters,” he said.

“It’s about loving the game they have, and having two teams like Inter and Milan playing here in Perth, it’s an opportunity for them to watch two good clubs and for Italian soccer to promote better in Australia.”

With 40 Italian Serie A titles, 15 Italian cups and 13 major European trophies between the two, success and fame follows the two Milan clubs around wherever they go. More than just football clubs, they are now worldwide brands.

Inter’s trip down under is their first-ever to Australia, but AC Milan are no strangers to these shores. This is their third visit to Perth in as many years, with the club increasingly enamoured with WA.

After a post-season game against fellow Italian powers AS Roma in 2024 and a pre-season match against Perth Glory last July, their meeting with their biggest rivals is set to be the biggest of them all.

Throughout the week, the red and black half of Milan have made themselves comfortable in what is becoming their ‘home away from home’.

Having arrived in Perth last week, they were blown away by the fans who lined the lobby at their hotel to welcome them upon landing in WA.

Star Croatian midfielder Luka Modric, a late arrival after the World Cup, was given a hero’s welcome at the airport and then again at a club event at Crown Sports Bar.

First-team defenders Strahinja Pavlovic and Matteo Gabbia and new signings Goncalo Ramos and Mario Gila teamed up with West Coast Eagles star Harley Reid in Yagan Square on Monday to serve up Italian food to punters, pose for selfies and sign autographs.

‘Rossoneri’ fans also got a behind-the-scenes look at the club’s final preparations for the Inter match at the club’s open training at Sam Kerr Football Centre on Tuesday.

Modric was the main attraction as fans lined up to get a glimpse of 2018 Ballon d’Or (the game’s highest individual honour) winner.

Portuguese winger Rafael Leao, the club’s other high-profile star, was also popular among fans amid speculation of a departure to Turkish side Fenerbahce.

Inter on the other hand only arrived in Perth on Sunday, but their arrival was a much more noisy affair as fans raised a clamour upon their checking-in, banging on the doors of their hotel lobby and chanting for their heroes.

If fans were left disappointed by their low-key arrival, they were rewarded the next day when the club showed off their two major trophies won last season — the Serie A and Coppa Italia — at Print Hall in the city, as first-team players Yann Bisseck and Piotr Zielinski happily greeted fans.

Bisseck said despite the long distance between Milan and Perth, him and his teammates had appreciated the warm welcome from fans.

“I’ve always liked getting around and traveling and if you look at the history of my career, I’ve played in a lot of countries, so I’ve been exposed to a lot of cultures,” he said.

“For me, it’s always a great experience, because you meet a different set of people with different mindsets and they have different values, it makes you grow as a person.

“It’s always a great thing to do, I think also for my teammates, and as of now, the Australian people have been super nice to us and I hope that will stay that way.”