Naples - Two Van Gogh masterpieces stolen in Amsterdam 14 years ago have been recoved from the home of a notorious Italian drug boss near Naples, Italian and museum officials announced on Friday.

Rome - A steady flow of migrants arriving in the south has combined with the de facto closure of borders to the north to leave Italy's migrant reception centres bursting at the seams.

Rome - Silvio Berlusconi celebrated his 80th birthday on Thursday, away from the limelight he enjoyed for decades as a flamboyant Italian prime minister, media tycoon and owner of AC Milan.

Rome - The Italian government on Monday set the date of December 4 for a referendum on constitutional reform that analysts say may determine Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's political fate.

Padua - A passenger on an Emirates flight is now suing the airline. The reason is because he sat next to an obese passenger who 'spilled' over into his seat.

Rome - Pope Francis on Saturday called for a "sincere dialogue" between Christians and Muslims as he met grieving relatives and survivors of France's Bastille Day attack, in which a jihadist ploughed his truck into a crowd.

Rome - Pope Francis will on Saturday hold a multi-faith meeting of grieving relatives and survivors of an attack in France in July when a jihadist ploughed his truck into a crowd in Nice.

Rome - A court in Rome has handed down an unusual penalty to the client of an underage prostitute, ordering him to buy her 30 books on the theme of women's dignity, Italian media reported Friday.

Rome - Picturesque hamlets devastated by Italy's deadly earthquake will be restored to their former glory, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said Friday, a month after the disaster which claimed nearly 300 lives.

Milan - Italy Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said he believes Rome's hopes of relaunching their ailing bid to host the 2024 Olympics are over, two days after a resounding 'No' by the city's mayor.

Rome - Larger-than-life actor Gerard Depardieu said his homeland France is becoming a playground for foreigners "populated by imbeciles making wine and stinky cheese", according to an interview published Thursday.

Rome - An Italian government campaign hoping to boost the country's flagging birthrate was on Wednesday condemned as racist just weeks after its original promotional material was panned for being sexist.

Assisi - Pope Francis said Tuesday the world "thirsts for peace" after praying with faith leaders for an end to religious fanaticism and indifference to the plight of war victims.

Bolzano - When police heard about the frozen corpse up in the Alps in September 1991, they opened a criminal probe. Murder it was, but the crime was rather old -- and the ultimate cold case.

Rome - Italy is not ready to pretend everything is alright when Europe is not functioning properly, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said Saturday, the day after a key EU gathering.

The U.S. government has admitted that Giovanni Lo Porto and Warren Weinstein, two aid workers in Pakistan, were killed in a counter-terrorism mission by U.S. military drones.

Rome - Pope Francis made surprise visits to two Rome hospitals on Friday, the Vatican said, continuing his monthly series of unannounced trips.

Rome - The death toll from the devastating earthquake which hit villages in central Italy last month has risen to 297, with the two victims succumbing to their injuries, the country's civil protection department said Friday.

Rome - Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, a widely respected former Italian president who played a crucial role in Italy's adoption of the euro, has died at 95, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announced Friday.

Florence - British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said Thursday said he favoured turning migrant vessels back towards Libya as a "deterrent" measure that would take the immigration heat off Italy."We are determined in the UK to help Italy.