A sculptor plans to erect a 12-foot bronze statue of singer Madonna in her ancestral homeland because she is 'a symbol for our children and represents a better world for them in the year 2000.' Walter Pugni called a news conference in Rome to show off a 2-foot model of the statue, which features Madonna in a daring bikini, and says he wants to put it up next month in Pacentro, the mountain village from which Madonna's grandparents emigrated in 1919.
He's also invited Madonna (full name: Madonna Louise Ciccone) to come when the statue is unveiled in a small piazza near a ruined medieval castle in the center of the village. Pacentro's five churches are dedicated to the other Madonna -- the Virgin Mary -- and there have been mild protests about erecting a statue of the singer with the sex-kitten image. Pugni says his work will be a tribute to Italian emigrants who went to the United States to seek their fortunes. At Madonna's feet are suitcases representing the emigrant image.
