The incident happened while the boy was sleeping in the tent with his family while on a camping trip at Bergeggi, near Savona, in the northern province of Liguria.
The victim was taken to the intensive care unit of the Gaslini paediatric hospital in Genoa, which issued a statement saying it was too early to say how bad his injuries were.
Police have called for any witnesses to come forward, saying it was a “criminal act and that they hope the culprits will be found”.
The family, originally from Haute-Savoie, according to Italian media, have two other children aged 14 and 15 who were also sleeping on the beach.
Local police were working on the basis that this was a deliberate act, the website of Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported.
They had not ruled out the possibility that this was a response to illegal camping, it said, adding that a second bin had also been thrown.
