Images of the reception centre on the Italian island of Lampedusa, for many migrants their first taste of Europe after crossing the Mediterranean Sea. Flooded bathrooms, a lack of food and water and chronic overcrowding that left men, women and children sleeping on filthy mattresses in the open air -- the stories told by humanitarian workers are bleak. On June 1, the government brought in the Italian Red Cross, which has vowed to provide a more dignified welcome to the tens of thousands who arrive each year from North Africa, hoping for a new life in Europe. STOCKSHOTS