President Obama, in an exclusive interview with Corriere della Sera published last week, said that Italy was part of him and that, in cultural terms, European culture has influenced him the most because American culture has its strongest element in Europe.

The fifteen-minute interview was wide-ranging and, asked what message he had for Europeans watching their young people die in Afghanistan alongside Americans, the President expressed his gratitude for the Italian contribution in Afghanistan. He said that Italy was also helping the US with training and that the Carabinieri had made a noteable contribution here. However, he reiterated that there are no easy solutions to the situation in Afghanistan.

The President told Paolo Valentino that Italy was “lucky to have an excellent Premier and an excellent President” and that Mr Berlusconi had been a “constant, strong ally”. He added that he and Mr Berlusconi do joke when they meet but that they of course discuss serious issues.

President Obama said that he finds President Napolitano “a very gracious person” and that the latter’s vision of a strong Europe coincides with his own.

On a lighter note, President Obama revealed that he loves the films of Fellini, Antonioni and De Sica and reads Dante. Of the Italian regions, he prefers Tuscany but his daughters fell in love with Rome on their trip to Europe.

The President concluded, “I honestly don’t know who couldn’t like Italy, or hasn’t been influenced by Italian culture.”

You can read the full interview in English here.