King of university degrees is 70-year-old Italian

Academics eat your hearts out: The world record holder for the number of university degrees is a cheery but truculent 70-year-old Italian.

Luciano Baietti lives in the town of Velletri in the Alban Hills near Rome and spends his days pottering around his small house and garden. But at 3 am every day, he pulls out his textbooks and starts studying.

He now holds 15 bachelor's or master's degrees from universities across Italy, and he is already embarking on his 16th degree.