The Principality of Filettino will rely on the trendiest legal luminary Carlo Taormina to study a way to legal independence. Besides the new and successful local currency, the fiorito, another step in that direction may be to turn Filettino into a duty-free area like Livigno.

Who shall be the future prince of the Principality? Contending for the spot are already fifty names — said Mayor Luca Sellari. There are more Italians than foreigners on the list.

At first they had asked Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy if he wanted the honour, but the popular Prince is already heir apparent to the House of Savoy, Italy's former ruling dynasty, so he could not accept.

In the interim for news about the first noble of the Principality of Filettino, the town plans a summit where all the mayors of the municipalities at risk of elimination will take part, scheduled for 17 September 2011 in Filettino itself. Among the scheduled list of attendees are Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, and Minister of Economy and Finance Giulio Tremonti.

Silvio Berlusconi earlier this year vowed to leave his "shitty country" (Italian, paese di merda) saying it "sickened" him — the Guardian writes. The remarks are contained in the transcript of a telephone conversation secretly recorded by the police investigating claims he was being blackmailed about his sex life. Paradoxically in response to this, an indignantFrankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has published, under a picture of a splendid Tuscan sunset, an editorial entitled "Let's stop (the coarse judgment) Cavaliere!".

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From BBCWeb, Beyond Borders Communities Web.