Silvio Berlusconi's close supporters deny there will be any fuggi fuggi - rush to the exit - in the wake of highly-publicised scandals surrounding his private life, but senior allies in Italy's centre-right coalition are already contemplating a political future without their long-time leader.
Well-placed government sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, stress that they do not see the 72-year-old media tycoon and three-time prime minister resigning soon. Yet key ministers are starting to position themselves in the event that more damaging revelations might lead him to step down.
