According to the Civil Protection, weather conditions were expected to worsen, with strong winds sweeping the peninsula from south to north, high waves, rivers overflooding due to torrential rains.

Officials issued multiple weather warnings with many local authorities urging people not to travel unless absolutely necessary. Schools across Italy were closed as a precaution.

Gale-force winds brought trees crashing down, rescue services said.

Two young people died south of Rome when a tree hit the car they were travelling in, while another person was killed and several injured in the nearby town of Terracina after howling winds brought down scores of slender, tall pine trees.

Four men died when a mudslide suddenly hit a villa in the southern Calabria region's Crotone province. The men were working in an underground room.

Dozens of trees were reported uprooted across Rome and many parks and tourist sites were closed, including the Roman Forum and Colosseum. Further south, the ancient Roman city of Pompeii was shuttered because of the blustery conditions.

Venice on 'code red'

At the other end of the country, authorities in Venice barred access to the central St Mark’s Square, which was heavily flooded.

Local authorities said the high tide hit a maximum of 156-centimetres in the early afternoon - the fourth highest level ever recorded.

City officials said that up to 75% of Venice was under water.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte mobilised civil protection authorities to aid local Venetian officials with rescue response, while Matteo Salvini, the interior minister, said authorities had 24-hour monitoring in place for all the high-risk areas from northern Liguria to southern Calabria.