A blast totally destroyed a car owned by the wife of Fabio Scionti, centre-left mayor of the Calabrian city of Taurianova early on Tuesday in a suspected act of mafia intimidation.

The Toyota Yaris car was parked in the garden of the couple's home when it exploded soon after midnight, police said.

Scionti heard the blast from inside his home and called police.

Police are investigating the bombing, which was strongly condemned by politicians from the ruling Democratic Party to which Scionti belongs and from other parties.

Scionti is also a town planning councillor for the city of Reggio Calabria and surrounding areas and investigators will focus on tenders for public works contracts of value to local mafia clans, Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported.

Earlier this year, several anonymous threats were mailed to Scionti, the newspaper said.

Scionti was elected mayor of Taurianova in November 2015 after three previous city councils were disbanded due to alleged infiltration by the powerful Calabrian mafia or 'Ndrangheta.