Italy Becomes A Snow Boot

Snowflakes swirled in St. Peter's Square and the Trevi fountain Friday, a rare sight in the Italian capital, as well as in St. Mark's Square in Venice and other cities.

Temperatures fell as low as 6 below zero in the Dolomites.

In Venice, tourists snapped pictures in front of St. Mark's Basilica, while snow-covered gondolas were idled along the canals.

In central Rome, the snow melted as it touched the ground, but it stuck in the city's outskirts and nearby coastal towns.

In the southeastern region of Molise, a snowstorm forced officials to close schools in about 30 towns, including regional capital Campobasso, news reports said. In Puglia, the "spur" of the boot-shaped Italian peninsula, strong winds stopped ferry service to the nearby Tremiti islands.

A front of frigid weather from the Balkans is blamed for the drop in temperatures, which are far below seasonal average.

Meteorologists said the cold would last through the weekend. In Rome and Venice, temperatures are expected to drop into the 20s Saturday.