Boston Mayor Heads To Italy For Urban Forum

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino will be heading for Italy this week to take part in a forum on urban cultural heritage and landscape.

A spokeswoman for the mayor says all travel expenses for the mayor and his wife are being paid for by a Milan-based consulting group.

The Boston Globe reports that Menino, Boston's first Italian-American mayor, will take part in a panel discussion on Thursday at a 13th century palace in Florence that was the original home of Michelangelo's famed statue of David. Topics are expected to include balancing development and environment and the future of urban art.

Menino called Boston "the most European city in America," and said sponsors of the conference wanted to hear from the mayor of that city.