ROME — Priests are pelting each other with snowballs in Rome after the Eternal City found itself blanketed in snow earlier this week.

A Siberian cold front dubbed “the beast from the east” is being blamed for the first snowfall to hit Rome in six years. Romans woke up early Monday morning to a record level of snow, which in some neighbourhoods reached up to six inches.

The fresh powder paralyzed the city for hours, with public transportation coming to a standstill and schools and hundreds of shops closing for the day. Even the army was enlisted to help shovel sidewalks and spread salt on roads.

But as the saying goes, ‘When in Rome’…throw snowballs and just go with it! Videos and photos of locals and tourists engaged in snowball fights, building snowmen and even skiing to work have made the rounds on Twitter.

Here are some of our favourites:

When in Rome… have a snowball fight! The Italian capital has had a rare snowfall, amid a Europe-wide cold snap: https://t.co/LgclYZ1bor pic.twitter.com/wSN0diXwdv

— CNN International (@cnni) February 26, 2018

Priests threw snowballs and nuns built snowmen in #Rome’s first snow in years https://t.co/uR6hI2rLr0 pic.twitter.com/UauzJSwX9A

— Melek Abdullayeva (@MelekAbdull) February 27, 2018

Views from Rome, as the Eternal City sees snow for the first time in six years https://t.co/48MLCGUZpP via @Verge

— Kristen Sickler (@kcsickler) February 27, 2018

WATCH: Rome’s famous sights are looking a little different, as snow blankets the Italian capital for the first time in 6 years (????: Reuters, APTN) https://t.co/pYh3EN3ado pic.twitter.com/g5NSmZ7TE4

— Channel NewsAsia (@ChannelNewsAsia) February 26, 2018

I’ve never seen Piazza Navona like this. Rome. Snow. Love it. pic.twitter.com/FLMSCjLSs8

— Nick Squires (@NickSquires1) February 26, 2018

Snow in Rome ❄❄❄
It’s a very rare event!! ???????????? pic.twitter.com/YRDayfVsCf

— Manuela ☁????☁☁ (@onlyellow) February 26, 2018