Read a Firefighter's touching on the victim of Italy's Earthquake

Thirty-five victims from the town of Arquata were mourned at a sports hall in the regional capital, Ascoli Piceno.

The coffins, laid out in rows on the floor, included two painted white for two children killed.

The death toll from the quake, which struck a mountainous central region, has again risen as more bodies were found.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi was among those attending the funeral along with President Sergio Mattarella, who earlier visited Amatrice, the town with the most casualties.

Bishop Giovanni d'Ercole urged those affected not to lose courage.

"Together, above all we will restore life to our communities, starting from our traditions and from the rubble of death," he said.

One of the children's coffins contained the body of Giulia Rinaldo, whose younger sister survived the earthquake because she was under Giulia's body.

One of the firefighters, Andrea, had left a moving note on Giulia's coffin, apologising for arriving too late, and signing it with a heart symbol.

Firefighter Andrea's letter to Giulia:

Hello, little darling. I only managed to lend a hand to pull you out of the prison of rubble. Forgive us if we arrived too late. However, you had stopped breathing by then, but I'd like you to know that we did all we could to pull you out.

When I return to my house in l'Aquila, I will know that there is an angel watching me from the sky and you will be a shining star in the night. Bye Giulia, I love you even though you never got to know me.