**Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi spent a settled night in hospital after being hit in the face by an attacker, Italy’s Ansa news agency said.**The agency said Mr Berlusconi’s first request upon waking up in the hospital in Milan was to see some newspapers.
The PM, 73, suffered a broken nose, two broken teeth and a cut lip after being hit with a souvenir model of Milan cathedral following a rally in Milan.
A 42-year-old man was arrested and has been charged with aggravated assault.
The suspect, Massimo Tartaglia, is reported as having a history of mental illness.
ANALYSIS
Duncan Kennedy, BBC News, Rome The attack will undoubtedly raise questions about security surrounding the prime minister.
Like most heads of government, he travels with a large team of body guards and aides but Mr Berlusconi is a gregarious figure who likes to mingle with ordinary people.
He is also a divisive individual in Italian politics, with opinion polls showing a broad split between voters.
After months of personal scandal involving his private life, he has become an even more polarising leader, though the motivation for this physical attack is not yet clear.
The San Raffaele hospital, where Mr Berlusconi is being treated, is expected to issue a statement around midday, Ansa said.
Mr Berlusconi’s doctor, Alberto Zangrillo, said it would take a few weeks for the prime minister to fully recover.
Dr Zangrillo said Mr Berlusconi had had to undergo a CT scan in the hospital but had not required any surgery.
“He suffered a big trauma to his face with two evident wounds on the upper lip, one external and one internal which needed surgical suture,” he said.
He is believed to have been struck full in the face by the souvenir cathedral while signing autographs.
Dazed
However Dr Zangrillo said Mr Berlusconi was still not quite sure about what happened to him.
After the attack on Sunday evening the prime minister, looking dazed, was helped to his feet by aides and put in a car. He got out and tried to climb on the car to show he was all right, before being driven away.
In pictures: Attack on Berlusconi
And upon arrival at the hospital the prime minister, who had blood all over his face, said he was fine.
There are said to have been scuffles between hecklers and security staff during the rally and before the attack.
At the hospital, Mr Berlusconi’s spokesman, Paolo Bonaiuti said he was worried about the “atmosphere of hatred and violence in the air”.
The attack was condemned by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano while conservative Gianfranco Fini said: “This is truly a bad day for Italy, and it’s the duty of all the political forces to ensure that Italy does not go back to the years of violence.”
Umberto Bossi, leader of the far-right Northern League said what had happened was an “act of terrorism” and called the attack “a worrying sign”.
Mr Berlusconi has been under pressure in recent months.
His private life has been in the spotlight, amid allegations that he slept with prostitutes, and after his wife filed for divorce.
He has dismissed accusations of ties to the Mafia, and criminal cases against him have resumed after a law giving him immunity was overturned.
A week ago tens of thousands of people attended an anti-Berlusconi rally in Rome.