Rome woke to its first snowfall in six years on Monday as chilling winds from Siberia swept across Europe, bringing freezing temperatures that have claimed at least four lives, closed schools and disrupted travel.
The "Beast from the East", as the phenomenon has been dubbed by the British media, is expected to bring cold air from Russia over the next few days that will make it feel even chillier than thermometers indicate.
Rome saw its first snowfall since February 2012, with about three to four centimeters (1.2 to 1.6 inches) settling on the ground Sunday, which prompted the authorities to call in the army to help clear the streets.
Schools were closed in the Italian capital as local authorities opened several train stations as emergency shelters for the homeless. Many people could not reach their places of work and police asked residents to stay at home if possible.
It was zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) in Rome on Monday morning, with a low of minus six Celsius forecast until Wednesday -- but no more snow is forecast.
Only one runway was operating at Rome's main airport, Fiumicino. The Italian capital's second airport, Ciampino, was closed overnight and workers were clearing a runway to allow it to reopen on Monday morning.
Italian aviation officials said Ryanair, which uses Ciampino as it Italian hub, had decided to cancel all flights to and from the airport. But they said most of Italy's other main airports were open despite delays to some flights.
It was the heaviest snowfall in Rome in six years and the largest for the end of February in decades. The city, which is not equipped to deal with snow emergencies due to their rarity, asked other areas to send in snow ploughs to help clear roads.
Piazza Venezia, Rome's central square which is usually a cacophony of car horns and a tangle of traffic, was eerily empty, quiet and white as dawn broke.
In St. Peter's Square in the Vatican priests and seminarians threw snowballs at each other.
In the north Italian city of Turin, heavy snow had caused a Serie A football game between Juventus and Atalanta to be postponed on Sunday.
