A PAIR of swimming stars diving in at the inaugural Special Olympic European Youth Games in Rome have been given a tantalising taster of Italian cuisine.

Joseph Peciuch, 17, and Sarah Casey, 20, had a guided tour of the Festa dei Funghi (mushroom festival) in St Albans by Italian TV chef Antonio Carluccio (pictured).

The duo, from Lewisham and Bexley, are part of the British squad of 34 athletes with learning disabilities competing in Italy at the end of September.

Sarah said: "I think we have a winning team. I've never been to Rome, it's going to be great."

At the games 1,400 athletes from 57 countries will compete for medals in seven different sports.

The Games strive for stronger connections between young people with and without learning disabilities.