Today in Rome it snowed. An Arctic storm swept across Europe overnight dumping several centimetres of snow on the capital, and this morning Romans woke to the rare sight of their city blanketed in white.

The last time it snowed here was in 2012; before that it had been decades since the last real fall. And in a city not used to dealing with snow emergencies, the unusual weather event created significant problems. Schools were closed, public transport was disrupted and many people couldn’t get to work. The police and army were mobilised and city officials requested snow ploughs be brought in from other regions. In our street alone several trees collapsed under the weight of the snow.

But for those who weren’t inconvenienced by it, the snowfall was a bit like Christmas; thousands of people, including many professional photographers, turned out to see Rome in white. And what a sight it was!