Rome stepchild adoption recognition follows landmark Milan ruling.

A Rome court has recognised a lesbian couple as the mothers of the daughter born to one of the women through assisted reproduction.

Gay activists have welcomed the stepchild adoption ruling which grants legal recognition to both women – a journalist and a writer – as the girl's mothers.

The 13 March ruling follows a recent landmark verdict by a Milan court which recognised a gay male couple as the fathers of two adopted children who are not related biologically to either men.

Italian courts are currently ruling on same-sex adoption cases on an individual basis after the contentious “stepchild adoption” clause was dropped from legislation allowing civil unions for gay couples, which was passed in May 2015.