An Italian fisherman has recovered his boat after it escaped from its moorings and drifted 700 kilometres (435 miles) to the coast of southern France, the French coast guard said on Friday.

The Dany, a 4.6-metre (15-foot) fishing boat, went missing in bad weather in October from Vernazza in northwestern Italy.

It was recovered, intact despite its long journey, by a trawler near Port la Nouvelle on the French Mediterranean coast in November.

"We identified the owner, called him, and he told us he was very attached to this family boat and would come and get it," coast guard Chief Warrant Officer Christian Garcia said.

On Thursday the owner, 67-year-old Rollando Giovanni, arrived with his son, loaded the boat on to a truck and took it home. He offered to reward the captain of the trawler, Denis Raynaud, but the captain refused.

Heavy storms lashed Italy in late October, causing flash floods across parts of the country that killed two people, brought Rome to a temporary standstill and left significant damage.