Rome, January 28 - Director, actor and comic Roberto Benigni on Thursday quipped that Premier Matteo Renzi had welcomed him and another three Oscar-winning Italian directors in the nude. Referring to the embarrassing case of a nude statue cover-up during the visit of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani earlier this week, Benigni told reporters: "Renzi brought us to Palazzo Chigi to solve the statue problem. He welcomed us really well: they were all in the nude, Renzi received us nude". Renzi and Culture Minister Dario Franceschini met for more than two hours with Benigni, Bernardo Bertolucci, Giuseppe Tornatore and Paolo Sorrentino ahead of a cabinet meeting set to pass measures in support of the Italian film industry.