Jedi knights have landed in Italy, where yesterday George Lucas began two days' worth of shooting on "Star Wars: Episode II." "It's fun to be directing again," Lucas told reporters inside his set, the real-life 18th century Royal Palace in Caserta that had been originally built for the Spanish kings of Naples. For the film, the fifth in the "Star Wars" series, the place serves as a backdrop for Queen Amidala's planet, Naboo. This installment picks up about 10 years after "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace." The teenage Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is being tutored by Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and falls in love with Amidala (Natalie Portman), the future mother of Luke and Princess Leia. Their relationship is doomed, however, as Anakin descends to the dark side and becomes Darth Vader. Lucas calls this film, set for release in 2002, a "romantic story" and "basically a fairy tale, but there's a lot of action, too."