Italian students, workers and other opponents of Silvio Berlusconi's government threw paint and smoke bombs towards parliament buildings as the prime minister narrowly survived a no-confidence motion.

Berlusconi won the vote in the Senate and survived the no-confidence motion in the lower house as anti-government protesters gathered in squares waving banners.

In some places protesters scuffled with riot police who had blocked off the centre of Rome. Protesters also marched in other cities across the country.

"Italian workers want Berlusconi to resign," said Gianni Rinaldini, leader of the Fiom workers union.

The marches follow weeks of bitter protests against the government, its austerity measures and planned education reform.

"They haven't done anything. For universities nothing has been done and we are in a stuation which is getting worse every day," said university student Valerio Zampani.