ROME -- A wave of bad weather hit central Italy, with torrential rain leaving Florence’s river Arno full to burst Monday, a whirlwind on the Roman coast killing two in the commune of Ladispoli near the capital, and strong winds ripping through the Marche earthquake region, civil protection workers said.

 A whirlwind struck north of the Roman coast Sunday night, leaving two dead -- a young foreigner aged about 20 died in Ladispoli, and a 61-year-old man died in Cesano next to Bracciano lake. The young man was hit by the cornice of a building, whilst the older man was crushed by a tree.

 A school in Tragliatella, northern Fiumicino, on Pertucce street, will remain closed Monday due to the effects of the cloudburst. A few trees fell and there were damages to the school’s electrical system.

 Many homes in Fiumicino’s Pesce Luna zone were left without electricity for much of Sunday night as a lightning bold hit an electrical cabinet, setting it on fire. There were lots of instances of flooding also in the capital and fallen trees causing inconvenience.

 Buildings were left without windows, houses left uncovered, there was damage to the train station and the police station in Ladispoli due to the violent whirlwind and torrential downpour. All along the Roman coastline, people were left wounded, with many being taken to hospital or making their way there themselves. An ambulance in Ladispoli was hit by a tree, as well as a car in Fiumicino.

 This whirlwind along the Roman coast was at the time an unpredictable event -- a weather alert was given, as heavy rainfall was predicted but not such a devastating phenomenon as arrived from the sea Sunday night, the Lazio civil protection service said.

 In Florence, at the Uffizi Gallery Sunday at 3:30 p.m. the Arno reached a height of almost four metres, and even 5.65 metres in nearby Rovezzano. A bridge also collapsed in this area, and the river remains high Monday.

 In the Marche region, the strong winds damaged a tent structure being used as a primary school in Arli of Acquasanta Terme, one of the communes in the earthquake zone. “One part of the cover was blown away,” said the mayor Sante Stangoni, “as if the earthquake was not enough.” The lessons will be halted from Monday, but they hope no longer than past Nov. 14. 135 children of nursery and primary-school age frequent this temporary school structure.

 “With the rain of the last few hours we risk losing the fresco of the Madonna on the Throne by Paolo Da Visso in the municipal Palazzo dei Priori. It was saved by miracle from the earthquake because the trusses of the communal hall fell backwards, but the bad weather could destroy it,” said the mayor of Visso, Giuliano Pazzaglini. The town is almost all in red alert, and other important works of art by the same artists are potentially at risk.

 nkd