In pictures: Italy on strike

Red banners fluttered on the central squares of Italy's historic cities on Tuesday as the country's unions led a general strike against labour reforms.

People from every walk of life were out for the action, which was as much a protest against Silvio Berlusconi's government as the actual reforms.

Italians concerned about job security joined radicals harking back to Che Guevara

The unions could be sure of a strong showing in the industrial heartland of Turin

But union leader Sergio Cofferati found 300,000 supporters even in aristocratic Florence

The message was equally clear in Milan, Italy's business capital and Silvio Berlusconi's home city

The day saw a revival of old the traditions of radicalism, going back a century

For Italy's all-important tourists, it was a day of closed museums and transport problems