Italy's octogenarian president may be called to rescue again

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano gestures after a news conference at the Quirinale Palace in Rome, April 27, 2013. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's 88-year-old president, Giorgio Napolitano, is an unlikely hero, but this week marks the third time in two years that he may be called to the country's rescue.

Just five months into his unprecedented second term as president, Napolitano is facing a potential political crisis in the euro zone's third-biggest economy that has already roiled financial markets.