Filettino's mayor says new state would be a monarchy, adding 'it's everyone's dream to be a prince'
By ELISABETTA POVOLEDO
FILETTINO, Italy — When the Italian government announced in mid-August that it would force towns with fewer than 1,000 residents to merge with their neighbors as part of an emergency cost-cutting budget, there were strident protests across the country.
Evoking the history of Italy, a nation forged from countless city-states protective of their local traditions, dialects and diversity, some of the mayors of the 1,963 towns affected by the measure turned in the keys to their cities. Others said they would welcome immigrants escaping war-torn Libya to push their populations over the 1,000-person threshold.
The mayor of Filettino has loftier aspirations: he wants his town in the hills east of Rome — population 598 — to become an independent state under a monarch.
“If that’s what it takes to keep the town autonomous and protect its natural resources,” said the mayor, Luca Sellari, who was elected in May. Besides, he added, “it’s everyone’s dream to be a prince.”
As befits a monarch, Mr. Sellari has lost little time in pursuing his dream.
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