Tourists continue to wade through the waters in Venice while some of the country's most famous landmarks have been closed
DEADLY storms have battered Italy with 110mph winds and flash flooding killing at least 11 people.
Among the victims was a woman who was buried by a landslide and a 61-year-old man who was swept away from his car by the ferocious flood waters in the north of the country.
The killer storms have lashed Italy for two days in succession resulting in some of its most famous landmarks being closed and forcing tourists in Venice to wade through knee-high waters.
Many of the deaths were caused by trees crashing down on cars and crushing pedestrians while two surfers lost their lives.
The victim killed by a landslide was found buried by mud in her home near Trento in northern Italy while a man who was slammed against rocks while wind surfing in Emilia-Romagna.
In Veneto, in north east Italy, authorities found a man, 61, whose body had been swept more than a half a mile away from his car.
Tourists in Venice waded through knee-deep floods to escape the city as the famous St. Mark's Basilica was evacuated due to the rising waters.
Officials said the cathedral had “aged 20 years in a single day” after being damaged by the flooding.
Landmarks such as the Colosseum in Rome and the Forum in Pompeii have been closed due to torrential rain and 110mph winds.
In the capital, more than 100 trees were felled by high winds and ports reported damage from the storm, including to moored boats.
Olive growers in Liguria estimated that one-third of the crop was lost due to damage from the storms that struck during the harvest.
Nearly 6,000 firefighters were dispatched to remove debris from roadways across the country.
One firefighter was killed by a tree near Bolzano, in Alto-Adige. Schools were closed in large areas of the country for two days as a precaution.
In the Italian Riveria, the harbour of Portofino was cut off after the storm battered its access road.
The town’s mayor Matteo Viacava said: “We have never seen anything like it. The sea was a fury.”
Nearby in Rapallo, 30ft waves lashed the coastline damaging around 200 yachts while authorities successfully rescued 21 sailors from the ferocious sea waters.
Rains flooded highways and caused a landslide that forced the temporary closure of the Brenner highway connecting Italy with Austria.
An orange alert, the second highest on the scale, was issued for the central regions of Abruzzo and Lazio - which includes the capital Rome - where gale-force winds topped 100 mph on Monday.
In neighbouring France, central and eastern areas were hit by heavy snow storms blocking roads and leaving some drivers stranded.
