Umbria's first snowfall of winter 2017

From the beginning of the new year, temperatures across Italy saw a sharp drop, with snowfall and below freezing temperatures in towns around the Alps and Appennine mountain ranges in the north and centre-south of Italy.

In the picture snow falls in Piazza IV Novembre, Perugia.

But for once it was the south of the country experiencing the harshest climate, with below-freezing temperatures and significant snowfall across the region, even at low altitudes.

The winter weather is expected to continue until the end of January, after which meteorologists predict frost but calmer weather overall.