Italy has been hit by a series of heat waves that have pushed temperatures above 40°C, leaving many people struggling to cope with the "unprecedented" heat.
Sweltering temperatures of up to 38C are expected in Italy this weekend, before an anticyclone called Caronte engulfs the country from 17 July, pushing temperatures above 40C in central and southern regions, with the islands of Sicily and Sardinia set to reach 48C. Caronte is the name of the ferryman of death in Greek mythology.
Two girls sit and enjoy the cool breeze next to the Trevi Fountain in Rome on July 14. Photo: Reuters
The Italian Ministry of Health has issued a red alert for 16 cities, including Rome, Bologna and Florence, due to the hot weather. The Italian weather forecasting center has warned people to prepare for "the most intense heatwave of the summer, and one of the most severe of all time."
Italians are used to hot summers, but have never experienced consecutive heat waves as sudden as this one, after spring and early summer storms and floods, with temperatures below average.
"I have never seen such a hot spell. It's not normal," said Massimo Borgia, manager of a newsagent in Rome.
He was forced to sell newspapers outside his kiosk because it was too hot inside. "In June, we had heavy rains and the temperature suddenly rose to 40 degrees Celsius. Next week's weather is forecast to be even hotter," Borgia said.
Near the Borgia's newsstand is Gatsby's, a bar popular with locals and tourists. "It's terrible. Besides making customers uncomfortable, this kind of weather makes it difficult to do business," said barman Kevin Cosentino.
The Gatsby is located under the awning that surrounds Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, in front of the metro entrance, and has an outdoor seating area right next to the sidewalk. Even under the awning, the atmosphere is still very hot. Cosentino usually starts his shift at 4 p.m. and ends at midnight.
"Sometimes the wind blows up from the subway station," he said. "I have trouble sleeping. I start to get tired by the time I get to work. It's not easy to work in this weather."
Temperatures in Sicily and Sardinia next week could approach the record set in Europe on August 11, 2021, when a temperature of 48.8 degrees Celsius was recorded in Floridia, a town in the province of Syracuse.
Nearly 61,700 Europeans died from heat last summer, the hottest on record, a study found. The countries with the highest death rates were Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal. A road worker died of heatstroke in Milan last week.
Temperature forecast for Italy next week. Graphic: Guardian
"It's a little cooler here than in the garden because of the trees," said Stefano Battiato, a member of Identity Tree, a community art project promoting sustainability and staged in the Nicola Calipari garden in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II.
“We need to drink more water, seek shelter from the sun or stay at home or in an air-conditioned shopping mall,” he said. “But using air conditioning is a vicious cycle that makes the climate crisis worse. People need to be more aware of sustainable living methods.”
Hong Hanh (According to Guardian/AFP )
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