Pictures show hailstones the size of tennis balls that landed on towns and villages in Veneto, the area surrounding Venice in the country's north-east, yesterday.
Luca Zaia, the president of the region, said 110 people had been injured by the hailstones and broken glass, as well as by falling.
He said: 'I thank once again the rescuers and technicians who intervened in the immediate aftermath of the events and who continue in these hours with the restoration works and census of damages.'
Winds reaching up to 140mph (87mph) were also reported in the local area.
National newspaper La Repubblica described trees snapped 'like toothpicks' and sheet metal roofing 'ripped from houses' before landing several hundred metres away.
Mr Zaia is reportedly preparing to sign a declaration of emergency today, as he described the amount of work that would be required to clear the damage.
'The hail that fell was absolutely out of the ordinary, with hailstones reaching diameters of over 10 centimetres in some cases,' he said.
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