Italy's government will dispatch 500 army troops to "defend Milan" after two days of unrest that saw demonstrators clash with police, loot shops and vandalise property.

The troop deployment, announced Monday by Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, is expected to form part of a package of security measures to be approved at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Luxury stores on Milan's Via Montenapoleone cleared their windows Monday and shut early, bracing for a return of the violence that hit the city over the weekend.