So you're going to be serving dinner tonight and you get to invite any 5 people - actors, politicians, writers, soccer players, your neighbors, relatives, they don't even have to be alive. The only catch? They all have to be Italian.

Who would you invite?
(Bonus points if you include a menu)

1. - Sophia Loren - because I would love to see what kind of person she is when not in front of the camera.

2. - Vladimir Luxuria: I would love to hear her story and all the changes she's witnessed from her unique vantage point.

3. - My grandmother, who came through Ellis Island from Camastra (where she was reportedly the mayor's daughter!) found a plot of land in the Bronx and grew a family there. She would cook for us until we were ready to burst from all her love and attention. I'd just like to give her of the same in return.

4. - Federico Fellini - I'd ask him, why did you write that, how come you used that angle, what were you trying to say, and would you like red wine or white?

5. - And finally, Raul Bova - um, hel-lo, it's Raul Bova. (Insert 'eye-candy-for-dessert' joke here)

My guests would be:-

1. Silvio Berlusconi - I'm no fan of the man, but I would be interested to find out what drives him, given his wealth, and why he seems so keen to control both all the Italian media and the country as a whole.

2. Carlo Conti - He is a frequent visitor to Castiglioncello, and speaks slowly and clearly, and his current quiz show (L'Eredita) is helping me with my Italian! Plus he seems a nice guy.

3. Adriano Celentano - a great entertainer and Italian institution, and quite witty, if a little too political sometimes.

4. Leonardo da Vinci - so ahead of his time, and such a brilliant brain. I doubt he would feel out of place in the 21st century.

5. Luciano Pavarotti - the only person who ever made me interested in listening to opera.

The menu? English of course - it would keep conversation away from the food (apart from the odd "are you sure this is edible?")