The niece of late director, Michelangelo Antonioni, looks on near a portrait of her uncle
at Rome's City Hall on August 1, 2007.[Reuters]

Italian film maker Michelangelo Antonioni was buried at a quiet ceremony in his beloved home town of Ferrara on Thursday, with fellow director Wim Wenders among those who turned out to pay tribute.

Antonioni, known for films like the Oscar-nominated "Blowup" and "L'Avventura," was laid to rest after a ceremony at St. George's Basilica -- the church he was baptised in 94 years ago -- with more family than stars in attendance.

"It is difficult to sum up what the 'Maestro' has left," said Wenders, who co-directed "Al di la delle nuvole" (Beyond the Clouds) with the Italian film maker in 1995. "He certainly created a new image of man in the 20th century."

Antonioni died on Monday after a career spanning six decades. He won an Oscar for lifetime achievement in 1995.

His deliberately slow-moving and oblique movies were not always popular hits but he was hailed as a founding father of European avant-garde cinema for his portrayals of modern angst and alienation.