Italy battles strong winds

(ANSA) - Rome, January 12 - Strong, blustery south-westerly winds continued to lash much of Italy on Tuesday, causing disruptions to maritime transport and uprooting trees.
    Two residents of Altopascio in the Tuscan province of Lucca were slightly injured after a poplar crashed onto their moving vehicles. Activities at Livorno port, also in Tuscany, came to a halt on Tuesday morning, with interruptions to ferry services to Sardinia, Corsica and the small Tuscan island of Capraia.
    Ferry services linking the nearby port of Piombino to Elba Island were also suspended. Further north in the coastal region of Versilia, a large pine tree was uprooted in the seaside resort of Viareggio causing damage to gas and water pipes.
    There were also flight disruptions at Florence airport for the second consecutive day due to the strong winds. In the central Marche region, a main road was closed to traffic in the early hours after a large road sign was knocked down by the wind. Damage and disruptions were also reported in the southern Calabria and Campania regions, with an almost total block on maritime services between Naples and the islands. In Sardinia fire fighters in the province of Nuoro intervened on several occasions to remove trees, advertising billboards, Christmas lights and other objects from the roads.