Strong winds, tornadoes and hailstorms hit many parts of Italy’s north and centre-north over the weekend, from South Tyrol down to Lazio, leaving at least four holidaymakers dead and causing widespread damage.

Weather alerts continue over the coming days, with extreme conditions forecast for Tuesday and through the week.

On the Tuscan coast, two girls aged three and 14 were reportedly killed on Saturday night when a tornado uprooted a tree which fell on their tent at a campsite in seaside town of Marina di Massa.

Most of the other campers had reportedly left the campsite after receiving a warning from authorities for the bad weather, with winds reaching up to 150 kilometres per hour.

The girls’ brother reportedly sustained minor injuries, while their parents walked away unscathed.

The scene at the campsite where two girls died after a tree fell on their tent, in Marina di Massa, Tuscany, on August 30, 2020. (Photo: AAP)

Two German tourists were killed on Sunday night during severe flooding on the Brenner state road near Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

A family car collided with a truck, killing two of the passengers: a 45-year-old father and 67-year-old grandmother.

A seven-year-old boy and his grandfather reportedly survived, while the truck driver escaped without injuries. 

The vehicles had been diverted onto the local road when the motorway was closed due to storms.

The motorway reopened on Monday, however train lines in the area remain closed.

Rescue crews near Varese are searching for a 38-year-old man who was reported missing after being swept away by a flooded river.

The city of Verona is bracing for further flooding after being hit by multiple waves of bad weather since August 23, with high winds and giant hailstones also causing considerable damage in the area, according to ANSA.

Severe damage was reported across much of the Veneto region, with the Vicenza and Belluno areas also hit particularly hard. 

The popular ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo in Belluno suffered landslides due to strong winds and heavy rain.

In the Vicenza area, a small tornado flattened trees, fences and road signs and caused damage to buildings.

The bad weather reached neighbouring Lombardy with hailstones “the size of eggs” reported in Cremona and Mantova, and heavy rain and flooding in Alessandria.

And in Bergamo, firefighters had to clear roads made impassable by severe hail.

Meanwhile in parts of the south, fire crews have been battling blazes in woods and scrubland from southern Tuscany and Marche to Sicily after a hot, dry summer. 

Italian firefighters on the frontline of bushfires in Altofonte, Sicily, on August 30, 2020. (Photo: AAP)

In Sicily, local media reported that fires broke out in five different areas on Saturday night.

About 400 people were evacuated from their homes in the Altofonte area of Palermo.

Canadair aircraft joined the firefighting efforts from dawn on Sunday, fire officials said on Twitter.

Altofonte mayor Angela De Luca said on Facebook that the situation remains “serious”.

Italy’s civil protection agency continued to issue weather warnings on Monday with orange (level two) alerts in place for Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige and Lazio.

Lower level yellow alerts were issued for Abruzzo, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Marche, Molise, Puglia, Sicily, Tuscany and Umbria.