'IoApro' (IOpen) anti-lockdown protesters threw firecrackers and objects at police in Rome's San Silvestro square on Monday.
The demonstrators, some wearing handcuffs and many with their hands raised, asked to be able to head towards the parliament building.
They were met by police in riot gear.
the IoApro protest has been organised mainly by restaurateurs and bar and gym owners chafing at long COVID-linked closures.
Militants from the far-right CasaPound group joined the hospitality operators, as they did in a protest that turned ugly in Rome last week with seven people arrested and one police officer taken to hospital.
"Reopenings now!" and "Freedom!", the protesters shouted.
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