By Naomi O'Leary ROME (Reuters) - President Giorgio Napolitano warned on Monday that Italy could be plunged into violent social unrest unless the government swiftly introduced reforms to help struggling citizens, following a week of protests in cities across the country. With the highest debt burden in the euro zone after Greece, Italy - mired in its longest post-war recession - is closely watched by financial markets and European partners as a flashpoint for instability in the bloc. In an address at his presidential palace in Rome, Napolitano warned that struggling citizens "could get involved in haphazard and even violent protests, in an extreme and unfruitful surge of total opposition to politics and institutions". The most detailed forecasts for 2014 indicate a risk of widespread social tension and unrest: a risk that must been kept in mind and confronted in Italy," Napolitano said.