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| Princess Caroline of Monaco (C) with her husband Prince Ernst August
of Hanover and her daughter Charlotte Casiraghi (L) arrive for Valentino's
party at the Temple of Venus in Rome July 6, 2007. Valentino
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"I thought it was time to come back," the designer, who has not presented a
show in Rome for 17 years, said at a news conference on Friday to kick off the
three-day festivities.
Eager to reassert itself on the fashion map where it once dominated before
losing its place to Milan, Rome has rushed to offer Valentino some of its
landmark venues as the backdrop for his events.
With the help of funds donated by the designer, Rome restored the ancient
Temple of Venus built by Emperor Hadrian, which hosts Friday's inaugural banquet
with the added attraction of luminous columns designed by Dante Ferretti hoisted
on top.
Bald mannequins draped with Valentino's trademark evening gowns lined Rome's
Ara Pacis museum as part of an exhibit on the designer's works that opened on
Friday with A-list stars such as Uma Thurman and Sarah Jessica Parker in
attendance.
