Heat alert grips Italy's cities as Calabria swelters

Italy is placing nearly all of its major cities under the highest alert for heat from Monday, authorities said on Saturday, as a fresh heatwave grips the country. The Local Italy reported that the measure will affect most urban centres, with The BBC noting that 19 major cities — including Rome, Milan and Naples — are already on red alert, and by Monday all but two will be.

The heat alert comes as the EU faces record fire weather, with data showing conditions 43% more severe than the average over the last 20 years, according to The Guardian. Three wildfires that broke out within days of each other in Spain and France this month are among the 15 largest recorded in the European Union since 2016, The Local Italy reported.

For Calabria, the heat is not a distant headline but a lived reality. While the regional wire notes the Italian Coast Guard evacuated more than 700 people by sea as wildfires approached a seaside town on the Adriatic, the South's hot Mediterranean coasts and mountainous interior are no stranger to extreme temperatures, and the strain on agriculture and daily life is acute.