Federer had skipped the clay court season the past two years since last competing in Rome in May 2016 but confirmed his participation for the tournament in Madrid earlier this year.
The Romans have censored themselves to make visiting Iranian President Hassan Rouhani feel more comfortable during his historic stop in Italy.
Indian boxers training in Italy for next month's Olympic qualifiers were given the option of flying out early due to the novel Coronavirus threat in that country but the team has decided to stay put as its training base in Assisi is "far" from the epicentre of the outbreak.
Flooding reached historic levels in Venice leading to rain-soaked tourists being asked to leave the historic St Mark's Square, as large swathes of Italy experienced heavy winds and flooding, leaving at least five people dead. Reports said that three-quarters of Venice was flooded. Take a look.
Indonesian football fans were thrilled to see Italian side AS Roma touch down in Jakarta on Friday as part of their pre-season tour.
