Chinese artist in hot water in Italy over Coronavirus meme.

The Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei has caused an outcry in Italy, currently battling to contain a Coronavirus outbreak, over a controversial post on Instagram.

The meme reads: "Coronavirus is like pasta. The Chinese invented it, but the Italians will spread it all over the world."

The meme, posted by Weiwei on 5 March, has so far attracted more than 2,000 comments, many from Italians whose responses range from disappointment to outrage.

A minority encouraged others to "see the funny side" and "lighten up" but the reaction was roundly negative for the 61-year-old artist, who is known for his politically-charged artworks and is no stranger to controversy.

Weiwei's contentious post comes as he was supposed to try his hand at directing Puccini's Turandot at Rome's opera house, however the much-anticipated production has just been cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma production, for which Weiwei was to design the stage scenery and costumes, was to be set in China and was scheduled from late March until early April.

The controversy over Weiwei's post comes several days after uproar in Italy over a satirical commercial aired on French television mocking Italy's Coronavirus outbreak.

Italy's foreign minister Luigi Di Maio branded the footage "deeply disrespectful" but later shared a "pizza of peace" with the French ambassador to Italy.