Italian divers have recovered 38 more bodies from a smugglers' boat that capsized and sank to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea with hundreds of migrants on board.

A ship carrying African migrants to Europe has caught fire and capsized off the southern Italian island of Lampedusa, killing at least 114 people as hundreds were dumped into the sea.

New Zealand businessman Michael Harte has just bought his own Mediterranean island, but he won't be partying on its beach with his mates.

A New Zealand businessman has forked out nearly $5 million for a pristine island in the Mediterranean.

A court hearing Amanda Knox's second appeals trial accepted a request to run additional DNA tests on the presumed weapon in the murder of Meredith Kercher.

There's nothing like a beautifully shot film to make you feel like up-and-leaving the very next day. Here are five examples that show off their stunning destinations to full effect.

The extraordinary sight of the Costa Concordia hoisted from its watery grave helped erase the shame many Italians felt over the captain crashing it and doing a runner.

Now that Silvio Berlusconi's tax fraud conviction and four-year prison sentence have been upheld by Italy's highest court, key questions remain about what will happen next to the former Italian premier. Here are some answers.

Thousadns of mourners yesterday paid homage to the 38 people who died when their bus plummeted from a flyover near Naples as they returned from a weekend away.

Famous crime writer Donna Leon takes Linda Herrick on a murderer's tour of Venice.

Fifty years ago, Bruno Amitrano opened a bar half-way up the hill from the tiny beach in the seaside resort of Positano. Seventeen years ago, his daughter Ornella and her husband Mario converted the bar into a restaurant.

They symbolise the romance and unique heritage of Venice, but the lagoon city's famed gondoliers are becoming known for drunken antics and could soon be forced to take drug and alcohol tests.

The Mayor of Florence has denied that the Renaissance city is a hotbed of "bunga bunga", amid a growing scandal involving prostitutes being paid for sex by council officials and local worthies.

Rarely are hikers rewarded so richly for their toils as on the steep slopes of Italy's Cinque Terre region, where five ancient fishing villages cling to the sheer slate cliffs below.

The palazzos were built for nobility, but it is artists, fashion designers and hoteliers that uphold their grandeur today, says Kate Simon.

Venice hosts its famous art biennale in June. Graham Reid offers survival tips.

Julia Shallcrass discovers Topdeck bus tours provide the swiftest way to see Europe and make new friends.

Silvio Berlusconi's private disco featured not only aspiring showgirls performing striptease acts as sexy nuns and nurses, but one woman dressed up as President Barack Obama.

Increasing numbers of campsite holidaymakers fly to Italy, but taking the decision to drive across mainland Europe is worth the effort.

After being buried under ash from Mt Vesuvius almost 2000 years ago, the Roman city of Pompeii rose again, becoming one of the world's most famous historic sites.

Justine Tyerman finds Cinque Terre, a UNESCO World Heritage site on Italy’s Ligurian Coast, just as she had envisaged.