Status: 08/12/2021 6:47 p.m.
Italy groans under the temperatures. A pizza maker in Rome thinks his oven is almost cooler than the weather outside. And it could get even hotter in the coming days.
In the morning it is still cool in Rome – what is called “cool” on these days when the highest heat warning level applies in the Italian capital. Shortly after 9 a.m., the temperature has already climbed to over 30 degrees.
Alina Glaser from Kayhude in Schleswig-Holstein stands with her husband and little son in the shade in front of the Spanish Steps and wipes the sweat from her forehead. “It’s bothering you,” she says. “You always have to drink, we always have something with us. We have a wet rag for the little one so that he doesn’t overheat.” It is different than in Germany.
“Always drink”: Alina Glaser with her husband and son in front of the Spanish Steps in Rome.
In Sicily, temperatures well above 40 degrees were repeatedly measured. In Rome, temperatures recently stayed just below that.
Tim Nacken from near Würzburg is on a short sightseeing tour in the hot city, but stays overnight at the gates of Rome. “We were at the campsite yesterday, and it was really warm. We are in the pool every ten minutes because there was no other way.”
“I’m already thinking about doing rain dances”
Even the heat-tested Romans groan under the warmth. Road workers and roofers have no heat.
57 year old Paolo opened his “Pizza Ricca” near the center. Sometimes he wonders, he says, looking at his pizza oven, where the cooler place is. “The problem is that there is also high humidity outside. So it feels almost less warm on my pizza oven. I’m already thinking about doing rain dances in the hope that it will lower the temperatures.”
Construction workers and roofers have time off, Paolo’s pizzeria is open.
Heat wave is said to continue to spread
The meteorologists give little hope. The heat wave is expected to spread across Italy by the weekend. The highest heat warning level then also applies to cities in the north, even to Bolzano at the foot of the Dolomites. In view of these extreme weather conditions, the Ministry of Health particularly appeals to the elderly not to go outside during the hottest hours of the day.
The feet in ice water
79-year-old Adelaide Passavanti in Rome leaves the shutters down in her apartment all day to keep it cool. You can only go outside if the heat is not harmful to your health. “I go shopping at 8.30 am, later it’s too warm. Or I call my salespeople at the market and they’ll bring me the things.” Adelaide swears by still water with lemon and by putting your feet in ice water a few times a day.
Drink water with lemon and put your feet in ice water: this is how Adelaide Passavanti defies the Italian heat.
Heat record or not?
It is controversial whether an all-time record was broken in Italy. A regional weather service from Sicily reported 48.8 degrees Celsius from the area of Syracuse. That would be the highest temperature ever recorded in Europe. The world weather organization WMO points out, however, that the official Italian weather service – which is part of the military – does not confirm this high mark. The examination of the possible record could take months.
Weather makes fighting forest fires difficult
Italy could also come close to highs in the coming days. Weather conditions also make it difficult to fight fires. In Sicily, the forest fires around Palermo are largely under control. However, the situation in Calabria is a cause for concern. Two people died there, including a farmer who wanted to save his animals.
Tourists and locals groan under heat wave in Italy
Jörg Seisselberg, ARD Rome, August 12, 2021 5:51 p.m.