Verdone to mark his 75th birthday by following in the footsteps of Alberto Sordi.
The much-loved Italian actor, comedian and director Carlo Verdone is to be mayor of Rome for one day, an honour bestowed on him by the city for his 75th birthday.
The news was announced on Wednesday by Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri who will cede his seat on the Capitoline Hill to Verdone for 24 hours on 17 November.
“Rome will see a significant expansion of the majority that supports me” – Gualtieri announced – “In November, in fact, there will be a new member of the council: on the occasion of his 75th birthday, I asked Carlo Verdone to be mayor for a day.”
Gualtieri recalled that another hugely popular Roman actor and comedian – Alberto Sordi – was mayor for a day on his 80th birthday.
This occurred in 2000, during the tenure of former mayor Francesco Rutelli, less than three years before Sordi’s death.
Verdone has a strong bond with the Italian capital and, as a major figure in Italian comedy, is widely considered to be Sordi’s heir.
Reacting to the news, a “very emotional and happy” Verdone told La Repubblica newspaper that he would spend his birthday as honorary mayor touring the “suburbs, the most vulnerable areas” of the city.
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