A new law states that from 26 June 2012 minors under 18 years of age can only travel abroad if they hold an individual passport or an individual identity card recognised by customs officials in the country to which they are travelling.

The law means that it is no longer possible for babies and children to travel under their parents' passports. If they don’t present their own document they will be denied, for example, a boarding permit at the airport.

The new legislation, which many people complain wasn't publicised, has led to Italian families being stranded at Rome's Fiumicino and Ciampino airports.