Paolo Sorrentino, the director of La Grande Bellezza, is to receive honorary citizenship of Rome, according to Italian news agency ANSA.

With the backing of the city assembly, Marino reportedly offered the citizenship to Sorrentino by telephone, after La Grande Bellezza film scooped an Oscar for best foreign language film.

According to reports Sorrentino was happy to accept the honour which he will receive on his return to Rome from Los Angeles.

In a statement issued on 3 March just after Italy's Oscar win, Marino said, "Thanks Paolo! We are proud that Italian cinema is winning again and has reclaimed the international prestige that it deserves."

Sorrentino's ode to a decadent Rome has thrilled viewers across the Atlantic but has drawn a more mixed response from Romans, some of whom feel that the decadence was aimed at a foreign audience.

See Wanted in Rome review.