State records obtained by The News & Observer of Raleigh show Gov. Mike Easley's industry-hunting trip to Italy cost more than $170,000.

Easley, his wife and a dozen others made the nine-day trip to April.

The newspaper reported Thursday the expenses ranged from $590 for two nights in a hotel in Florence, to $61,000 for a daily chauffeured Mercedes for the Easleys.

No word yet on the expenses for the governor and first lady's security detail, or the head of the state Commerce Department.

The trip was designed to recruit industry and sell North Carolina as a tourist destination.

Commerce Secretary Joe Fain says the trip was a success. Officials say they have six promising leads on new or expanding businesses, as well as two news stories in Italian publications about North Carolina as an attractive tourist destination.