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MILAN — He may potentially be the most powerful man in Italy, yet few people know who he is. Foreign ambassadors seek him out, even though he holds no public office. He claims to be but a simple member of a political movement, volunteering free technical assistance, but critics say he and his small Milan company control the votes, the candidates and the policies of the country’s leading party.

Last October, Beppe Grillo headlined a protest by the 5 Star Movement, the populist political party he founded. Standing outside the Pantheon he denounced a new electoral law that will limit direct voting for parliamentary candidates and help protect incumbents in national elections on Sunday.

Bernardo Bertolucci and Luca Guadagnino hail from different generations, but both Italian directors have a bent for making sensual English-language films. And each knows what it’s like to be embraced by critics and audiences abroad but snubbed at home, as Bertolucci tells Variety in a rare interview.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is Italy’s first choice to succeed Gian Piero Ventura as national team manager, the Italian Football Federation confirmed on Tuesday morning.

Italy have been searching for a new manager since Ventura was fired after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia.