That's just not true any longer. Now we have the opposite problem. Rome is a global player. The city is taking a leadership role when you think of happening cities.

Today, when Quincy Jones wants to stage a concert, he comes to Rome.

This is a city where you can go from Bernini to Michelangelo to Julius Caesar to Meier. This is what we want to protect, Rome's double identity. The city as a rigorous protector of its past but also driven towards the future.

This is proof that we want to be known as the city of acceptance. I think these sorts of things mark the civilization of a city; they make it human. They build a sense of community and solidarity.

A big city can be a mass of people in conflict - you have to develop a sense of relationship,

It will be a great event ... held in the most charming scenery in the world,