A group of children from a South Taranaki primary school are appealing to the Pope to intervene in an international kidnapping case involving a very special bear.

Officials are concerns after the latest quake damaged several churches and buildings in the heart of Rome.

The lucky SuperEnalotto winner from Vibo Valentia in Sicily paid just 3 for the record jackpot.

An Italian woman who spoke badly of her former husband in front of their kids has been ordered by a court to pay him 30,000 ($45,570) in compensation.

COMMENT: Can vigilantism be condoned in the fight against scourge of meth?

There may be no such thing as a free lunch but in Italy, visitors can top up their bottles with wine without paying a penny.

An Italian prosecutor says he wants to find those responsible for 'inciting' death by unlocking woman's phone.

The Vatican is struggling to cope with a massive rise in demand for exorcists by Italians who are finding themselves increasingly menaced by demons.

Stephanie Kercher, sister of murdered Meredith, says a new documentary about Amanda Knox has hurt her family.

Amanda Knox lied to police, saying she was in the apartment when her roommate was killed. This, she claims, is why.

Italy has a very updated high-speed network of trains.

Xenia Taliotis checks into an elegant Tuscan hotel and decides to never leave.

Sasi Nair takes a whistle-stop tour through some of northern Italy's beautiful regions.

Scientists reveal how 5300-year-old corpse met his end - and that the 'iceman' called Otzi had 61 tattoos.

The bloody handprint on the wall, the ripped bra and a leg protruding out from underneath a duvet. Giuliano Mignini remembers it all.

An Italian woman was bombarded with abuse after an explicit sex tape emerged online.

This is the moment a cat was found alive 16 days after it was trapped under rubble in the devastating Italian earthquake.

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

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

Chiara Appendino, the newly elected Turin mayor, is determined to promote the delights of vegetarian and vegan food in a region renowned for meat dishes.

Two Italian commuter trains have collided head-on in the southern region of Puglia, killing at least 22 people and injuring scores more.

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.