Weimar, Germany -  A lawyer of Italian descent unveiled Friday in the German city of Weimar what he said was fresh evidence that German literary great Johann Wolfgang von Goethe had been romantically linked to his dowager-duchess boss.

Ettore Ghibellino, 39, who was born in Germany but had his early schooling in Italy, presented passages from letters by another woman, Countess Caroline Goertz, which he said showed that Duchess Anna Amalia of Saxe-Weimar was in love with Goethe, 10 years her junior.

Ghibellino has upset established German literary scholars with the claim, first aired in a book he wrote in 2003. Goethe (1749-1832) is regarded as Germany's greatest poet and wrote about romantic love.

A supporter of Ghibellino, Norbert Leithold, a historian, conceded, "There is no single quote that proves the relationship." But he said at the news conference that the mass of evidence in hand- written letters proved Ghibellino right.

Goethe experts say flowery love talk was the usual way in Goethe's time of addressing royals such as Anna Amalia, mother of Saxe- Weimar's ruler. "It's just imaginative speculation," responded Jochen Golz, president of the mainstream Goethe Society, to the claims. (dpa)