Italy rugby coach Nick Mallet on Monday left veteran prop Andrea Lo Cicero out of his 30-man training camp for the upcoming Six Nations tournament.
Lo Cicero, 32, is the only player to have taken part in all of Italy's campaigns since it was admitted in 2000.
The Sicilian player, who has 78 caps, was upset he had not been informed of his omission.
''After 11 years in the Italy team I would have expected a phone call at least,'' he told ANSA on the phone from Paris where he plays for second-division outfit Racing Metro Paris.
''I find myself out of the squad without an explanation. I'm really upset,'' said the Catania-born player, who comes from aristocratic stock but rarely uses his title of baron, except in jest.
Asked about the possibility of Mallett having a rethink during the tournament, Lo Cicero replied: ''We'll see if I go if it does happen. I'm not a boy any more and could tell him to buzz off''.
Lo Cicero was left out along with his club mate Carlo Festuccia for the January 25-29 camp in Rome where Mallett will have his last big drill ahead of a February 7 clash with England at Twickenham.
The coach picked six uncapped players: 21-year-old Femi CZ Rovigo flanker Simone Favaro; Casino' di Venezia lock Francois Montauriol; Rovigo wing Andrea Bacchetti; 18-year-old Benetton Treviso utility back Tommaso Benvenuti; and the Overmach Cariparma pair, centre Gilberto Pavan and fly half Giulio Rubini.
Called back into the squad are Leicester Tigers prop Martin Castrogiovanni and Toulon lock Santiago Dellape', who have recovered from injuries that kept them out of the autumn tests.
After the camp the squad, whittled down to 24 members, will meet up again in Rome on February 1 for final preparations for the England match.
Italy go into the Six Nations after a disappointing three autumn tests when they were beaten by Australia, Argentina and, for the first time, the Pacific Islanders.
Mallett is still hoping to find a better forward-back combination to repeat Italy's Six Nations coup of 2007, when they won two matches for the first time.
The former South Africa coach, who replaced Pierre Berbizier after the 2007 World Cup, could not repeat the Frenchman's feat.
Italy finished bottom of the championship again last spring, winning only one game.
The Six Nations schedule sees Italy facing England away on February 7, Ireland at home on February 15, Scotland away on February 28, Wales at home on March 14 and France at home on March 21.
Here is the training squad:
Matias Aguero (Saracens), Andrea Bacchetti (Femi CZ Rovigo) Tommaso Benvenuti (Benetton Treviso), Mauro Bergamasco (Stade Francais), Mirco Bergamasco (Stade Francais), Marco Bortolami (Gloucester), Gonzalo Canale (Clermont Auvergne), Pablo Canavosio (MPS Viadana), Martin Castrogiovanni (Leicester Tigers), Carlo Antonio Del Fava (Ulster), Santiago Dellape' (Toulon), Simone Favaro (Femi CZ Rovigo), Gonzalo Garcia (Cammi Calvisano), Leonardo Ghiraldini (Cammi Calvisano), Andrea Marcato (Benetton Treviso), Andrea Masi (Biarritz), Luke McLean (Cammi Calvisano), Jean Francois Montauriol (Casino' di Venezia), Carlos Nieto (Gloucester), Fabio Ongaro (Saracens), Sergio Parisse (Stade Francais), Gilberto Pavan (Overmach Cariparma), Salvatore Perugini (Toulouse), Matteo Pratichetti (Cammi Calvisano), Tommaso Reato (Femi CZ Rovigo), Kaine Robertson (MPS Viadana), Giulio Rubini (Overmach Cariparma), Josh Sole (MPS Viadana), Giulio Toniolatti (Almaviva Capitolina), Alessandro Zanni (Cammi Calvisano).
