PRESS RELEASE

STAR companies present in London their results for the first half of 2005
to the international financial community

The companies listed on STAR, the High Standard Mid Cap Segment of Borsa Italiana, today meet the international financial community in London.

Two hundred institutional investors and financial analysts are present and more than 500 one-to-one meetings are scheduled.

In keeping with the tradition of recent years, the event organised by Borsa Italiana offers 53 companies (Actelios, Aedes, Amga, Astaldi, Banca Ifis, BB Biotech, Biesse, Brembo, Buongiorno Vitaminic, Cad it, Cairo Comunication, CDB Webtech, Cremonini, Dada, Datalogic, Digital Bros, Dmail Group, DMT, El.En., Engineering, Erg, Esprinet, Fiera di Milano, Gefran, Graniti Fiandre, IFD, Ima, Interpump, Irce, Isagro, IT Way, Jolly Hotel, Juventus, La Doria, Mariella Burani, Marr, Mirato, Mondo TV, Navigazione Montanari, Panaria, Prima Industrie, Recordati, Reno de Medici, Reply, Sabaf, Saes Getters, Socotherm, Sogefi, Stefanel, Targetti, Trevisan Cometal, TXT e-Solutions, Vittoria Assicurazioni) the chance to show the results they achieved during the first half of 2005 to the international financial community.

Initiated in April 2001, the STAR segment today includes 69 companies and features more stringent requirements in terms of free-float, corporate governance and transparency.

As of the end of September 2005, STAR had an aggregate capitalisation of 22.5 billion euro and daily trading volumes of almost 110 million euro, higher than the average for both Italian and international companies of similar size.

In 2004, as already in 2003, analysis of the aggregate figures showed a growth in the revenues of the companies listed in the STAR segment (which as a whole reached 24 billion euro) of around 3 billion euro, corresponding to a tendential growth rate, over the last two-year period, of 17%.

The gross operating margin grew an average of 26% per year, moving from 1.8 billion euro in 2002 to 2.9 billion euro in 2004.

Since 31 January 2005, the techSTAR, STAR and AllSTARS indices were introduced: tracked continuously and free-float weighted, these three indices provide an overall picture of small and mid caps with high requirements, and provide a suitable benchmark for managers interested in Italian high standard small and mid caps.

The performance of the AllSTARS index from the start of the year is +37%, and +78% in the last 3 years.

The techSTAR index includes the 19 technology companies of the STAR segment, the STAR index comprises the 50 traditional business companies, and the AllSTARS index includes them all.

The analysis of the turnover over the last three years confirms a record for liquidity for STAR and techSTAR companies in Europe. Over the last 3 years the liquidity of the segment has grown by an annual 50%, reaching the average level of 1 million euro per stock per day.

STAR Company Presentations 2005, like the Milan meeting organized last February by Borsa Italiana for the presentation of the annual results of the STAR companies, is one of a series of meetings organized with the aim of promoting these companies in the main international Stock Exchanges, including Frankfurt, New York, Paris and Tokyo, in collaboration with Italian and international brokers.

London, 13 October 2005