MERYL STREEP IN ROME FOR FILM FESTIVAL

MERYL STREEP IN ROME FOR FILM FESTIVAL

(ANSA) - Rome, October 21 - US actress Meryl Streep arrived in Rome on Wednesday to present her culinary smash Julie & Julia at the city's International Film Festival.

Streep, who turned 60 in June, was seen at the airport donning her trademark scarf and glasses and stopped to bid her fans ''buongiorno''.

In addition to the out-of-competition screening of her new film, the two-time Academy award winner will be picking up a Marc'Aurelio lifetime achievement award for her more than 30 years on the silver screen

Streep is the fourth recipient of the award after Sean Connery, Sofia Loren and Al Pacino.

Directed by fellow Oscar winner Nora Ephron, Julie & Julia casts Streep in the role of Julia Childs, the celebrity chef and TV star credited with introducing French cuisine into American homes in the 1960s and 70s.

A box office smash grossing over $20 million on its opening weekend in August, Julie & Julia has met with wide critical acclaim with The New York Times saying ''Streep has out done herself yet again''.

After the film closes the fest on Friday, Streep heads across town to the American Academy to be awarded the ''Le cattedrali letterarie Europee'' for outstanding cultural achievements.

Given out by the Eureka cultural association, past winners include Italian actor Roberto Benigni and novelist Umberto Eco. Photo: Meryl Streep