Russians wanted Naples monuments - mayor

(ANSA) - Rome, January 26 - Despite his city's serious financial woes when he took office, Naples Mayor Luigi de Magistris said Monday that he was not seriously tempted by lucrative offers from Russian businessmen to buy pieces of the ancient city's heritage.
    De Magistris, during an ANSA forum, talked about the dire circumstances he inherited when he took office four years ago, Italy's current political situation, crime in Naples, and his efforts to boost tourism there.
    But the latter did not involve selling off parts of the city to wealthy entrepreneurs, he said.
    "In the early days of my mandate, in times of severe crisis...some Russian entrepreneurs came forward and suggested I allow them to purchase some monuments, important symbols of my city," said de Magistris, adding he intends to stand for election again.
    "Sure, it would have helped with some financial issues but I realized I would have abdicated my role (as mayor), to help to enhance the cultural heritage of the city and I would go down in history with the label of the man who sold the best pieces of Naples," he said.
    The entrepreneurs were interested in pieces including such architectural gems as the Castel Nuovo and the Castel dell'Ovo, said de Magistris, a former prosecutor.
    During the forum de Magistris said that early in his mandate he had to act quickly to cut spending on consultants, try to get the books in balance, and pay debts owed to creditors. He said he has also worked to get the Camorra mafia out of city contracts.
    "We have worked like ants; some people initially were disappointed but then, a little at a time, they understood our efforts," he said.
    More work is being done to open Naples and its cultural heritage to tourists, and it is proving successful, said de Magistris.
    "We have one of the most important art heritages, we are a friendly city," and tourists are realizing that, said the mayor.
    On national issues, de Magistris said that when voting begins this week for a new president, Italy needs "a new Pertini" - referring to Alessandro 'Sandro' Pertini, who served as the seventh president, from 1978 to 1985.
    "But it would be interesting to have a woman," as president, said de Magistris, adding that the names of possible candidates that have appeared in the media up to now "are not good".
    De Magistris also described Premier Matteo Renzi as "a disappointment" particularly in the former Florence mayor's dealings with municipal governments.
    "I expected he would be closer to mayors...I was expecting something more concrete," to help local government, said de Magistris, adding that under Renzi the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) "is not (of the) left".