Former premier and media baron Silvio Berlusconi is still Italy's richest man but eyewear tycoon Leonardo Del Vecchio is coming up fast behind him, according to the annual ranking of billionaires by the American business magazine Forbes.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates remained at the top of Forbes' worldwide standings with $56 billion, followed again this year by Warren Buffett, $52 billion.
Berlusconi's net worth was put at $11.8 billion and while this was an increase over last year's $11 billion, the leader of the Forza Italia party found himself falling from 37th to 51st in Forbes' global ranking.
Del Vecchio's worth rose from $10 billion in 2006 to 11.5 billion this year but he fell from 44th place to 52nd.
Other Italians on the Forbes list included Michele Ferrero, the producer of the popular chocolate-hazelnut spread Nutella, at 62nd place with $10 billion, fashion designer Giorgio Armani at 177th place with $4.5 billion, construction and publishing tycoon Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone and winemaker Mario Moretti Polegato tied for 287th place with $3 billion each, and the Benetton fashion family were in 323rd place with the four siblings worth $2.8 billion each.
Also on the list were banker Ennio Doris, at 369th place with $2.5 billion, pharmaceuticals baron Stefano Pessina was 407th with $2.3 billion and the self-made telecom billionaire Silvio Scaglia was 799th with $1.2 billion.
