More than 1500 people have been forced to evacuate after a 4 km-long landside in an idyllic Italian town left homes teetering on the edge of a cliff, writes 9news.com.au.

A cyclone and accompanying rainfall caused a landslide in the Sicilian town of Niscemi on Sunday, creating a drop of up to 45 metres. No one has been reported injured or killed, but several homes are close to collapsing.

"Houses that remained suspended were inevitably doomed to collapse, as were those closest to the landslide`s summit line", Sicilian Regional Department of Civil Protection head Salvo Cocina said. "It is likely that most of these homes will never be recoverable, and new housing will have to be found".

Cocina confirmed the landslide had worsened since Sunday, leaving authorities to widen the red zone to 150 metres and order a total of about 1500 people to evacuate. Affected residents are receiving support from local authorities and are seeking refuge in the homes of family and friends. Mayor Massimiliano Conti has described the situation as "dire" as aerial images captured the catastrophic scenes. The Italian government has allocated EUR 100 million to support emergency efforts as it declared a national state of emergency for Sicily, Sardinia and Calabria.