(13 Nov 2011)
1. Wide exterior of Hotel Forum
2. Elsa Monti (wearing a red coat) and her husband economist Mario Monti walking out of hotel and being surrounded by media before getting into his car, UPSOUND (Italian) Mario Monti: "What a nice day today."
3. Cutaway of photographers
4. Motorcade leaving
5. Italian, European Union and presidential flags above Quirinale Presidential Palace
6. Wide exterior of Quirinale Presidential Palace
7. Senate President Renato Schifani leaving presidential office and walking past media
8. Media inside presidential palace
9. Gianfranco Fini, Speaker of the House of Deputies, leaving presidential office and approaching podium, UPSOUND (Italian) "Good day and good work!" (to the media), Fini walks away
10. Cutaway of flags
11. Journalist reading newspaper
12. Wide exterior of Quirinale Presidential Palace
STORYLINE:
Italy's president began sounding out parliamentary and party leaders Sunday - the day after the resignation of Silvio Berlusconi - on who should lead the government and help save Italy from financial disaster.
Giorgio Napolitano has a day of back-to-back meetings as he seeks to establish whether economist Mario Monti, a highly respected former European Union competition commissioner, or another contender can garner enough support to form a government.
Monti wouldn't comment on the situation on Sunday morning as he left a hotel in the capital.
"What a nice day today," was all he would say to reporters as he departed with his wife Elsa.
Napolitano, who is head of state, received Senate President Renato Schifani at the presidential palace.
Gianfranco Fini, a former Berlusconi ally who leads the lower Chamber of Deputies, immediately followed.
Napolitano might be able to appoint Monti by evening if enough backing is secured by his consultations.
But some of Berlusconi's supporters and allies have balked at the prospects of a government led by Monti.
Pressured by day after day of poundings by the markets, which lost faith in the once charismatic leader, Berlusconi resigned Saturday night as promised, as soon as urgent anti-crisis measures won final approval in Parliament.
If Napolitano sticks to his fast-paced schedule of consultations, Berlusconi's forces will have their chance to meet with him in early evening, leaving enough time to appoint Monti or someone else to try to form the next government.
Italy faces severe pressure from the financial markets to have a government named by Monday morning when the work week resumes.
Italy is under intense pressure to quickly put in place a new and effective government to replace him, one that can push through even more painful reforms and austerity measures to deal with its staggering debts, which stand at 1.9 (t) trillion euro (2.6 (t) trillion US dollars), or a huge 120 percent of economic output.
Italy has to roll over a little more than 300 (b) billion euro (410 (b) billion US dollars) of its debts next year alone.
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