Tourists wait on Piazza del Campo with parasols in Siena, Italy, July 2, 2025. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

ROME, July 3 (Xinhua) -- On a blistering summer afternoon in Rome, even the Colosseum's timeless grandeur is overshadowed by the rare sight of tourists and locals huddled under umbrellas - sheltering not from the rain, but from the scorching sun.

"We used to enjoy the sun," says Lucia, a Roman pensioner resting on a shaded bench. "Now it feels dangerous."

This week, Italy once again finds itself at the epicenter of a growing climate emergency sweeping across Europe. A persistent and deadly heatwave has gripped much of the country, prompting red alerts in major cities, straining healthcare services, and triggering urgent conversations on long-term resilience strategies.

The heat has already taken a tragic toll. As of Wednesday, at least five people have died in Italy due to heat-related causes. A man in his 50s drowned near Turin after a river broke its banks, while a 47-year-old construction worker died of heatstroke near Bologna.

Meanwhile, on the island of Sardinia, two beachgoers died on the beach, and another person passed away in a hospital emergency room.

Hospitals are feeling the strain. According to Alessandro Riccardi, president of the Italian Society of Urgent and Emergency Medicine, emergency room visits have surged by up to 20 percent since the onset of the heatwave.

"We are seeing more illnesses in people with chronic conditions and the elderly," Riccardi said, noting that heatwaves intensify pre-existing health problems and can cause rapid deterioration.

In Rome, authorities have deployed refreshment tents staffed by the Red Cross at tourist hotspots and transportation hubs. Pamphlets explaining heatwave safety protocols are being widely distributed, and special assistance services have been activated for the city's vulnerable and homeless people.

Elsewhere, regional governments in Lombardy and Lazio have introduced restrictions for outdoor labor between 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. local time.

The searing temperatures are also testing infrastructure. In Florence and Bergamo, blackouts have been reported due to possible overloading of the power grid, driven by increased use of air conditioning. In the Veneto region, part of the freeway was temporarily closed after the asphalt cracked under the intense heat, causing traffic jams stretching 30 kilometers.

Italy's Civil Protection Department has warned that the country's islands face heightened risks during such events. "The islands are as fragile as the mainland, but their isolation complicates emergency response," department head Fabio Ciciliano told parliament. Sicily has declared a state of emergency 23 times in the past decade, underscoring the scale of the challenge.

According to climatologist Marcello Miglietta, research director at Italy's Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC-CNR), the intensity of current weather events is no anomaly - it is part of a broader trend driven by climate change.

"We may not necessarily see more frequent extreme events," he said, "but they are becoming more intense. This is already evident - we are observing concentrated clusters of destructive events over shorter periods, similar to tornado outbreaks in the U.S."

Italy is far from alone. The heat system has caused violent thunderstorms in France and is linked to abnormal weather patterns in central and northern Europe.

Back in Liguria, on Italy's northwest coast, local health authorities are issuing warnings not just for people but for their pets. "Avoid walking your dogs during the hottest hours," a notice in a seaside town reads, underlining how the heat is reshaping daily routines.

Public utilities are also adapting to the weather conditions. In Rome, the water company ACEA has launched a mobile app to help residents locate public fountains.

For now, Italians are bracing themselves. With up to 20 cities on red alert later this week and more heatwaves expected before the summer ends, umbrellas on sunny Roman streets may become a lasting symbol of a continent learning to live under a hotter, harsher sky. ■

Tourists cool off at a nasoni, Rome's drinking water fountain, near Colosseum, in Rome, Italy, June 27, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Jing)

Tourists visit Piazza del Popolo in Rome, Italy, June 26, 2025. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

A man uses a parasol for shade in Piazza del Popolo in Rome, Italy, June 26, 2025. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

Tourists visit Piazzale Michelangelo with a parasol in Florence, Italy, July 2, 2025. (Xinhua)

A tourist cools off under a fan in Rome, Italy, June 26, 2025. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

A man cools off at a fountain on Piazza del Campo in Siena, Italy, July 2, 2025. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

Tourists march towards the Imperial Forum in Rome, Italy, June 26, 2025. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

Tourists wait on Piazza del Campo with parasols in Siena, Italy, July 2, 2025. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

Tourists cool off at the Fontana del Pantheon in Rome, Italy, June 27, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Jing)

Tourists cool off at the Fontana del Pantheon in Rome, Italy, June 27, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Jing)