The FIFA World Cup trophy paraded through Boston's North End in tribute to Italy's championship, but there was one problem: It really wasn't the trophy.

Mayor Thomas Menino kissed the trophy, and fans waited hours in line to have a $5 picture taken with the trophy when it was brought to the city's heavily Italian neighbourhood Tuesday.

But the trophy, which Anheuser-Busch is touring around the country, is a gold-plated replica of the actual 18-karat, 14-inch multimillion-dollar gold dome created by Italian artist Silvio Gazzaniga.

Italy won this summer's World Cup in a penalty-kick shootout with France.

``I guess we were duped,'' Nick Varano, owner of Strega restaurant, told the Boston Herald. ``We were told it was the actual World Cup, the solid gold World Cup. I'm sick over it.''

Tony Ponturo, a spokesman for Anheuser-Busch, said the replica is just as important in Italy as the original. The replica will go back to Italy to be kept as a symbol of its victory.

The real trophy goes back to FIFA headquarters in Switzerland.

The tour of the replica also includes stops at St. Louis, New York, Miami, Chicago and Washington.

© The Canadian Press, 2007