Romans woke-up Monday morning to see the city and its famous monuments covered in snow for the first time in six years, as icy winds blow from Siberia across Europe.
With its mild Mediterranean climate, the capital of Italy rarely sees snow, and when it does, even a few centimeters almost paralyze public transportation and force the closure of schools.
Italy's civil protection agency has sent in the army to clear snow-clogged streets and called on volunteer corps to help commuters stranded at train stations.
Only one runway was operating at Rome's main airport, Fiumicino, and the second airport, Ciampino, was closed overnight to allow workers to clear a runway for possible fights on Monday.
Elsewhere in northern and central Italy, the storm also caused disruption of public transportation and authorities ordered schools closed and many private ones followed suit.
Meanwhile, temperatures in Moscow have dropped to this winter's low despite the approaching spring.
Earlier this month, Moscow had been hit by a record snowfall that closed streets all over the city.
The Meteorological Office said that in the Russian capital the temperature dropped to nearly minus 20 degrees Celsius overnight, the coldest night this winter.
Meteorologists are forecasting unusually low temperatures for early March.
