The hair-raising moment a tornado hit the north-western Italian city of Sanremo has been caught on video. The twister reportedly formed out at sea around 12:40 on Friday, off the coast of the picturesque, historic Italian city on the Italian Riviera.

The tornado lasted but a few violent minutes, moving from the sea into the city centre, where it managed to wreck two of the town’s verandas. It also damaged stained glass windows and tore a chimney from the roof of a building.

As well as ripping up trees and road signs, a number of cars and motorcycles were also damaged. La Stampa reports that a number of pedestrians were even forced to cling to poles to avoid being flung into the air. At least one person suffered minor injuries, according to Il Messaggero.

In another dramatic video, onlookers captured the moment a waterspout formed by the circling winds lashes boats docked in the city’s Old Port, while flinging debris around the harbor.

The picturesque city is famned for its cultural events such as the Sanremo Music Festival and the world's longest professional one-day cycling race, the Milan-Sanremo classic.