Viale Francis Ford Coppola unveiled ahead of Rome Film Festival.

Francis Ford Coppola, the celebrated Italian-American director best known for The Godfather trilogy, was honoured at Rome's legendary Cinecittà film studios on Monday.

Coppola, 85, received two special tributes: the naming of a street after him and the gift of the honorary key to the Roman studios where, some 35 years ago, the five-time Oscar winner filmed scenes for The Godfather - Part III.

"For me, all this is a dream come true", Coppola said during the ceremony, adding: I have always been fascinated by Cinecittà."

"When I was young I had no money but I dreamed of studying at the prestigious Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, which for me represented the closest step to entering Cinecittà, which at the time was the real Hollywood", the director said.

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Coppola then introduced the Italian premiere of his latest movie Megalopolis, as part of a pre-opening event for the 19th edition of the Rome Film Festival which kicks off on Wednesday.

The director, who in addition to The Godfather movies is known for blockbusters such as Apocalypse Now and Bram Stoker's Dracula, told the Cinecittà audience: "I'm close to death, but I still want to make two films. One small and simple, just for fun, which I will shoot mostly in Italy, and one big".

Coppola is to receive the Lupa Capitolina, Rome's top honour, from the capital's mayor Roberto Gualtieri during a ceremony at city hall on Tuesday.

Photo ANSA