In Amatrice, known as the town of "100 churches", at least 15 were destroyed.

This week's earthquake in Italy has raised deeper fears for many residents.

A kindergarten teacher has rushed home to Italy after Wednesday's 6.2 magnitude earthquake claimed the life of her mother and brother.

A 10-year-old girl was pulled from rubble after spending 17 hours trapped upside down in debris.

A British honeymoon couple have revealed the shocking moment that the earthquake in Italy shook their hotel room.

Venice Mayor threatens tourists with a night in the cells after visitor jumps off Rialto bridge and smashes into water taxi

Professional cyclist Keagan Girdlestone came close to death in a crash in Italy. He has made enough progress to return to Christchurch to continue rehabilitation.

WATCH: NZ Herald Focus: New Zealand's biggest supermarket chain will not follow Italian waste minimisation moves, it says.

Italy's debt burden is the second-highest in Europe, only behind Greece, is a worry as it's banks have $560 billion of non-performing loans which could choke growth

A five-year-old girl was used to run secret messages for Italy's most wanted mobster, a mafia turncoat has told Sicilian prosecutors.

The Italian island dubbed a "pink paradise" was sold by its wealthy Kiwi owner this year, but the battle for Budelli rages on.

Rat takes on snake - and wins.

Migrants unable to pay for their journeys across the Mediterranean are being sold to organ traffickers, an Eritrean smuggler has told Italian authorities.

Kiwi wins landmark court ruling after Italian Government refused to let him and his partner move there.

It's called "abbronzati o rimborsati" - meaning "get a tan or get your money back".

Tourists are flocking to a little town on the Italian island of Sardinia to frolic with felines on the beach.

A court in Italy has ruled that child support can be paid in the form of pizza after a divorced baker supplied his ex-wife with 400 euros worth every month.

They are the bucket-list destinations tourists are loving to death. Some of these sites have been shut down, while for others the risk lingers.

Celebrities are just like us - they even use Airbnb to find holiday accommodation.

An alleged Mafia chief's appetite for pizza has cost him his freedom.

Hundreds of refugees are believed to have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea trying to reach Europe, one year after a similar tragedy.

Fausto Mottalini, 65, is out to tell the world that a human being can live with a few simple things: food, shelter and above all, uncontaminated nature.

Fried cow brains might not be to everyone's taste, but more people may sample the Florentine speciality now.

Erme says the locals' united stand has gone some way to alleviate the climate of fear that once existed, and the violence once demonstrated so publicly by the mob.

Elton John will perform in an ancient Roman theatre in Pompeii in July as part of a world tour to showcase his new album Wonderful Crazy Night.

Italy plans to slash the number of tourists visiting the Cinque Terre park, as the rugged coastal area risks being wrecked by coach parties.

Blaring loud music from a car stereo is now a crime in Italy, the country's highest court has ruled.

Italy has postponed voting as some allies of PM Matteo Renzi pushed for the removal of a provision that allows limited adoption rights.

Livio Lodi eyeballs me and asks, "Now, if I were to say the name Gugliemo Marconi, would you know who I mean?" I nod, and start to answer him.

An Italian woman could face up to six years in jail after her husband accused her of not doing enough cooking and cleaning.