Authorities in the village of Quito plan to accommodate 101 immigrants in empty apartments, but several residents broke into one of the buildings, removed camp beds, mattresses and televisions intended for the newcomers and set them on fire outside.
The protesters then put up tents, with the Corriere della Sera newspaper quoting them as saying: "We aren't going home until they leave -- this is an invasion."
Italy is currently hosting more than 80,000 migrants who have crossed the Mediterranean fleeing war, persecution or poverty in the Middle East and Africa. The arrivals include many Africans, particularly Eritreans, as well as Syrians.
"This is a declaration of war for those who don't understand what it means to put (migrants) alongside families with young children," he said.
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But Treviso prefect Maria Augusta Marrosu said: "They are staying, because they don't have the choice."
Graffiti sprayed on the side of a building in Quinto said in large red letters: "Prefect Marrosu, take them home."
A near-simultaneous protest in Casale San Nicola, a well-heeled suburb north of Rome, saw police face off against a a hundred locals protesting the arrival of some 20 migrants.
Clashes erupted between the demonstrators and police, who escorted the migrants into a former school that has been turned into a reception centre. Two demonstrators were arrested over the incident, in which 14 officers were slightly injured, the police said.