Kevin Spacey makes first public appearance in 2 years in Rome

US actor Kevin Spacey, under investigation for sexual assault in the US and Britain, has made a public appearance in Rome, his first in two years, La Repubblica daily reported Sunday.

The daily posted a video on its website showing Spacey, dressed in a suit and tie, reciting a poem outdoors before "a handful of spectators".

The actor made his appearance near a Hellenistic bronze statue "Boxer at Rest", also known as the "Terme Boxer", at the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, La Repubblica said. The statue shows a sitting nude boxer. "It's his first public appearance in two years," it said.

The work Spacey recited, in English, is by Gabriele Tinti, a contemporary Italian poet, in which he gives the statue a voice.

The Rome trip comes after prosecutors last month dropped sexual assault proceedings against Spacey following the collapse of the case over his alleged victim's refusal to testify.

William Little had accused the 60-year-old filmstar of groping him in a bar on the upscale resort island of Nantucket in July 2016.

Spacey has always insisted on his innocence of the charges.

It is the latest chapter in Hollywood's reckoning over sexual assault and harassment, which has already seen television icon Bill Cosby jailed, with movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's trial set to begin in September. Spacey is a two-time Oscar-winner -- recognised for his supporting role in