Berlusconi tapes may spark probe into ancient tombs

ITALIAN Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s private conversations with an escort, which have riveted Italians all week, may wind up getting him into trouble with Italy’s archaeological authorities.

In one of the transcripts of his purported conversations with Patrizia D’Addario posted on an Italian website, Berlusconi boasts about his sprawling villa in Sardinia – complete with an ice cream parlour and artificial lakes.

“Here we found 30 Phoenician tombs from [around] 300 BC,” the voice is heard to say.