Luigi Di Maio, the leader of Five Star Movement, met leaders of the anti-government "gilets jaunes" protests on Tuesday.
He posted a picture of himself on Twitter with yellow-vest leader Christophe Chalençon and members of a yellow-vest list who are standing in elections to the European Parliament in May.
Luigi Di Maio tweeted that "the wind of change has crossed the Alps".
Italy's fellow Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini later sought to ease tensions, saying he would be happy to hold talks with President Emmanuel Macron.
But to "reset" relations he said France had to address "fundamental" issues. He called on Paris to hand over left-wing militants wanted by Italy and to stop returning migrants. He also complained of lengthy French border checks causing traffic jams at the frontier.
We need a no-fly zone over Paris NOW.
