(Rome) Installation of trees, cooling at fountains: tourists and residents in Italy tried to cope with the first summer heat wave on Friday, with temperatures around 40°C.
According to the official weather service of the Air Force, temperatures flirted with 40°C in some parts of the country, while the Ministry of Health placed several cities on heatwave red alert, including Rome and Palermo ( Sicily).
The meteorological site Il Meteo blamed an African anticyclone called “Minos”, named after the son of Zeus in Greek mythology, who became the judge of the underworld after his death.
In Rome, where the Air Force recorded a peak of 39°C on Thursday, local authorities installed palm trees in pots at bus stops to offer passersby some shade.
The Italian capital has many parks and free drinking water fountains, but many streets and squares are completely exposed to the scorching sun.
On Friday, many tourists, Italian and foreign, cooled off around the stone fountains, drinking water or splashing their heads.
“Since we’re not doing anything, we have nothing to complain about, I’m thinking of those who are on the construction sites, who work here, it must be terrible,” a Swiss tourist told AFP-TV .
“We go back to the hotel for a little while to avoid the hottest hours of the day,” explains Anna Verna, a 34-year-old Italian tourist.
“Then we will go out again […] Rome is beautiful, so we want to enjoy it even in the heat,” she says with a smile.
Using a thermal camera, the environmental NGO Greenpeace found that temperatures far exceeded 50°C at ground level in places, notably at the Coliseum.
In 2023, Rome recorded a record high temperature of 42.9°C on July 18, according to the municipality.
“A record that we unfortunately risk beating this summer […] even if it is only June,” warned Sabrina Alfonsi, environmental advisor.
Climate change caused by human activity is warming the planet at an alarming rate, leading to intense heat waves that are increasing, according to the global scientific community.
