Valls asks what have Italians got up to with statues? (2)

(ANSA) - Paris, January 28 - French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Thursday joked about the furore created by the covering up of nude statues in a Rome museum during a visit to Italy by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani earlier this week. "What have you got up to with those statues?" Valls said, in Italian, before a group of Italian reporters. The premier's office said Wednesday it had opened an internal investigation over the cover up at Rome's Capitoline Museums, which sparked scorn from government critics and amusement in the international media. Culture Minister Dario Franceschi said the decision was "incomprehensible," adding that neither he nor Premier Matteo Renzi had been informed.