Serie A's Greatest Rivalries: The 5 Most Intense Matches in Italian Soccer

Italian football is passionate at the best of times, but there exist matches that go beyond the realm of normal emotion.

These games can define a local rivalry or personify a grudge that stretches hundreds of miles. They transcend the boundaries of league football and mean more than just three points on a table. These are clashes that can define a season. They've changed teams' fortunes and saved many a manager's job. 

Italy's derbies are never short of drama, but this May's Coppa Italia final between Rome's two clubs, AS Roma and SS Lazio, will be special because for the first time in history there's silverware on the line.

It's a game that's sure to capture the imagination, but what are the other clashes that always get the blood boiling in the Bel Paese? 

Derby d'Italia

It's not usually smiles and handshakes when Juventus and Internazionale face off.

The Derby d'Italia pitches the country's two most supported clubs against one another in a game that often dictates the final destination of the year's Scudetto. 

Earlier this season, Inter's shocking 1-3 victory in Turin ended an unbeaten run that had stretched for more than a season and showed the rest of the league that the Bianconeri were not unbeatable. 

The fixture's biggest ever win came in 1961, when Renato Cesarini's Juventus side beat the Nerazzurri 9-1. Helenio Herrera had just begun work on what would eventually become known as the "Grande Inter," but fired on by players like the legendary Giampiero Boniperti, Juve were just too much for the Argentinian's Inter. 

This relationship has always been a stormy one, but in recent years it's become more acrimonious as both clubs snipe at one another regarding the Calciopoli affair. Juventus were famously relegated, allowing Inter to profit greatly in terms of success in the league, but the Bianconeri haven't forgiven the fact that the judge had also found Inter guilty but had been unable to punish the Milan side. 

Derby Della Madonnina

Milan's derby is named after the Madonnina, a statue of the Virgin Mary that sits on top of the city's famous cathedral. 

AC Milan and Inter are two of the world's most famous and successful clubs, so unsurprisingly their head-to-head clashes are highlights of not just the Italian but the global football calendar. 

Milan's rivalry was once based on class division. The Rossoneri were supported by the working class while the Nerazzurri were the team of the city's gentry. Today, that dynamic has changed somewhat. Milan are owned by Italy's controversial former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, the country's richest man, and Inter's patron Massimo Moratti is known for being more left-wing. The competition between the two remains as fierce, however. 

After Herrera's Grande Inter, the blue and black side of the San Siro suffered decades of ups and downs, while their rivals enjoyed one of football's most dominant ever periods in the 1980s and 90s, most memorably with Arrigo Sacchi on the bench. Since 2006, Inter have had the upper hand, but now Massimiliano Allegri's side are in the resurgence as Andrea Stramaccioni struggles to re-build Inter post-Mourinho. 

This is a rivalry that should shape Serie A in the coming years.  

Derby Di Sicilia

The Derby di Sicilia has traditionally been one of Serie A's rarer fixtures because the two clubs in question often occupy different leagues. But the rivalry is as fierce as it comes, and the games always mark the high point of the football season on the southern Italian island. 

This derby also marked one of Italian football's darkest periods. Some regions have struggled with crowd violence in recent years, and it came to a head in 2007 when policeman Filippo Raciti died from injuries sustained during post-game rioting. 

The tragedy resulted in the suspension of all matches and a fierce debate about the relationship between fans, stadium safety and local authorities. It's one that continues to this day, with many feeling that much of Italy's football infrastructure fails to live up to modern standards. 

Derby Del Sole

The Derby of the Sun. The Italian capital's Roma versus Napoli, southern Italy's most supported team. Two of Serie A's most romantic, passionate and important clubs and two teams that always bring with them the most committed supporters. 

This rivalry nowadays exists more between the fans than the clubs themselves, but during the 1980s it was hotly contested. Both clubs were at the height of their powers in the period, and players like Diego Maradona, Roberto Pruzzo, Agostino Di Bartolomei and Giuseppe Bruscolotti entertained fans across the globe.

Today, these pair are seen as the most likely to rival northern Italy's league dominance, so it's a grudge match that could flare up again soon.

Derby Della Capitale

An eternal rivalry for the Eternal City. AS Roma and SS Lazio are the archetypal football foes. They represent a city divided, and when they play, Italy's capital grinds to a halt in expectation.

Tensions always run high and the fixture is never far from the headlines. It was the backdrop to Serie A's first-ever fatality and has been stopped for fear of widespread rioting in the past. More recently, there have also been rare scenes of solidarity. Earlier this season Lazio commemorated the tragic death of Gabriele Sandri, a fan, before kick off, and the gesture was applauded by the Romanisti.

The relationship isn't normally so smooth. 2013 will go down in the record as the first time the two have met in a cup final, and whoever wins is going to add a significant chapter to their history book. Watch this space.