An Armed Forces of Malta ship carrying rescued migrants arrives at an AFM base in Valletta last October. The number of migrants trying to make their way from the North African coast to European waters has ballooned in recent years. Darrin Zammit Lupi/Reuters/Landov hide caption
The medieval town of Pitigliano is perched atop a massive volcanic rock, looking out over vineyards and olive groves. It was once home to a vibrant Jewish community, treated with civility or cruelty depending on who was in charge of the city; now, the town works to preserve and share the cultural history of Italian Jews. Michela Simoncini/Flickr hide caption
A slide of migratory flows in the Mediterranean Sea from the Mare Nostrum operation is displayed in the control room of the Italian operation, which tracks and intercepts migrant ships en route to Europe. Sylvia Poggioli/NPR hide caption
Italy's Vincenzo Nibali, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, passes the Arc de Triomphe during the twenty-first and last stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 85.4 miles with start in Evry and finish in Paris, France. Christophe Ena/AP hide caption
Vincenzo Nibali, Astana Pro Team, on the podium as he retains his yellow leader's jersey on the penultimate day of the tour. Pete Goding/PA Photos/Landov hide caption
The vintage boats of Argentario Sailing Week, some more than a century old, plied the waters off Italy's Tuscan coast, known for its ideal sailing conditions. Sylvia Poggioli/NPR hide caption
Marquise Lamberto Frescobaldi (right), of the winemaking dynasty, talks with prisoners Brian Baldissin (left) and Francesco Papa at his vineyard on Gorgona island in June 2013. Alessandro Bianchi/Reuters/Landov hide caption
A portrait of Lt. Giuseppe Petrosino. Rod Lamkey Jr/The Washington Times /Landov hide caption
An Italian navy photo from March, showing a migrant boat from North Africa intercepted off the coast of Sicily. AP hide caption
Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was all smiles last month at Ciampino Airport near Rome. Andreas Solaro /AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Migrants sit in a boat during a rescue operation by the Italian navy off the coast of Sicily on Nov. 28. Italy is looking to revamp the way it handles the hundreds of thousands of migrants who arrive annually. Reuters/Landov hide caption
Customers dine at the original Eataly in Turin, Italy, which opened in 2007. demoshelsinki/Flickr hide caption
Migrants are seen in a boat during a rescue operation by Italian navy ship San Marco off the coast to the south of the Italian island of Sicily on Wednesday. HANDOUT/Reuters/Landov hide caption
Years ago, the boulder in the foreground broke loose and rolled on to this farm in northern Italy. Then this month, the boulder in the center of the photo tumbled down the mountain, tore through a barn and came to rest in a field. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Markus Hell/Tareom.com/AP hide caption