5 million-year-old whale

The skeleton of a 5 million-year-old whale has been found in the Tuscan vineyard that produces the world-famous Brunello di Montalcino wine.

A spokeswoman for wine promotion agency Winenews said they found the first piece of the skeleton in January.

"A group of palaeontologists were digging in January in the Castello Banfi vineyards and found a whale's vertebra," Daniella Vidotto said.

"They continued their search and found the animal's entire skeleton, about 10 metres long."

Explaining that the region was under water 5 million years ago, Ms Vidotto said it was a magnet for palaeontologists.

"A dolphin skeleton was found a few years ago in our area, in Pienza, as well as lots of sea shells," she said.

The region in the province of Siena is known for its wine and Brunello di Montalcino was named the best wine in the world last year by the prestigious US magazine Wine Spectator.