Faecal samples obtained from either asymptomatic or diarrhoeic calves in Italy were screened for bovine kobuviruses (BKVs) using specific primers. BKV RNA was detected in 4.9 % of the samples, with higher positivity rates in diarrhoeic calves (5.3 %) than in asymptomatic animals (4.8 %), although the difference was not statistically significant. Upon sequence analysis, all of the Italian viruses formed a tight group along with BKV-like sequences previously detected in Thailand and Japan.