Putin meets Pope Francis and Silvio Berlusconi on busy first day in Rome

Russian president Vladimir Putin had a hectic first day in Rome, going from the pope to a Pussy Riot protest to dinner at the palatial home of his old friend, Silvio Berlusconi.

Putin showed off his religious side during his visit to the Vatican on Monday, stopping to cross himself and kiss an icon of the Madonna that he gave Pope Francis. But Moscow's improving relations with the Vatican only went so far: Putin didn't invite Francis to visit.

After the 35-minute audience, Putin went across town to pay a courtesy call on Italian President Giorgio Napolitano. A few dozen people protesting against Russia's detention of two members of punk band Pussy Riot tried to block his motorcade.

He managed to get through, and then arrived at former prime minister Berlusconi's Palazzo Grazioli.

Berlusconi promised a fully Italian dinner for Putin, whom the three-time Italian premier has entertained before at his Sardinian estate. The reunion was sure to buoy Berlsuconi's spirits: the Italian Senate is due to vote today on whether to kick him out of parliament following his tax fraud conviction.

It remains unclear whether Berlusconi will show his old friend the "Putin bed" inside the palazzo. The Russian leader gave the bed to Berlusconi, but it gained notoriety when a prostitute tape-recorded Berlusconi instructing her to wait for him in it while he showered during a night they spent together in 2008.