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A prison revolt in Pavia, a town under quarantine in northern Italy, is now under control, the BBC’s Alicia Gioia reports.

A group of detainees organised a protest and set several areas of the Torre del Gallo jail on fire.

It was among the riots that broke out at 27 prisons in Italy over new restrictions aimed at controlling the spread of coronavirus.

Read our full story: Prisoners across Italy riot over new restrictions

A local prisoner rights activist, who wished to remain anonymous, says prison authorities should start thinking about what to do next.

“It all exploded last night, after weeks of resentment," they said.

"Family visits have been suspended for weeks. Other activities - like routine visits with psychologists and recreational activities with volunteers - have also been suspended.

“Of course they needed to stop any contact with the outside world. But at the same time, other measures should have been put in place.

"Prisoners should have been given the option to have longer phone calls with their relatives, for example. At the moment, they are only allowed 10 minutes every week.”

Inmates protesting on the roof of the San Vittore prison in Milan called for a pardon Image caption: Inmates protesting on the roof of the San Vittore prison in Milan called for a pardon

Italian media reported two policemen had been kidnapped – but Mario Venditti, the local prosecutor who was on the ground to negotiate with the detainees, said no actual kidnapping took place.

He said one policeman had been injured in the attacks and others suffered from smoke inhalation.

The activist said now the unrest has been contained, prison authorities "should be looking at measures to cope with the situation".

"The damages to the prison building are enormous, and some of the detainees have been transferred to other prisons, which are already overcrowded," the activist added.

"It will put pressure on the system as a whole. I think they should start thinking about releasing some of the long serving detainees, especially those who are serving the last leg of their sentence and could be place under house arrest.”

Violent protests broke out at 27 Italian prisons against coronavirus restrictions in the country Image caption: Violent protests broke out at 27 Italian prisons against coronavirus restrictions in the country