() – The Greek Acropolis closed for hours, record sea temperatures off Croatia and plans to feed zoo animals with ice popsicles in Italy: southern Europe is baking under a “hellish” heat wave.
Greece’s Culture Ministry ordered the closure of the Acropolis, the country’s biggest cultural attraction, for five hours starting at 12 pm on Wednesday, forcing tourists hoping to visit the Parthenon temple to line up early in the morning. the morning. The Red Cross handed out cold bottled water and informational brochures to those waiting in line.
“We made it and got out quickly, and now we’re going to get some air and drink more and enjoy the day,” said Toby Dunlap, who was visiting from Pennsylvania and had just toured the Acropolis. “But it’s hot up there, really. “If you don’t come prepared, you’re going to sweat.”
The heat is largely due to hot air from Africa, which forecasters expect to continue into Sunday. Temperatures are expected to reach 43 degrees Celsius.
In Italy, two firefighters died putting out a fire in the Basilicata region, in the south of the country, according to authorities.
Authorities added Palermo, in Sicily, to the list of 13 Italian cities with a severe heat warning. In the city of Verona, the elderly were urged to stay at home, while sprinklers were installed to cool down passers-by.
In Rome, Madrid tourist Carmen Díaz tried to cool off with a fan at lunchtime. “It’s hot as hell,” he said. “These fans also help a little, but it is very hot.”
To beat the heat, Rome Zoo made plans to offer animals respite with ice pops later this week, when temperatures are expected to rise above 38 degrees Celsius.
“It feels like we’re in an oven with a hair dryer pointed at us,” said Patrizia Valerio, who had just arrived in Rome from Varese to attend a Coldplay concert on Tuesday night.
Another concertgoer, Mattia Rossi, said the rare storms that hit Italy earlier this summer were proof that climate change is wreaking havoc on weather systems in the southern Mediterranean.
“In my opinion, these are all symptoms of a planet that is suffering,” Rossi said.
According to scientists, the climate crisis, caused mainly by the burning of fossil fuels, is influencing all heat waves on the planet, making them longer, more frequent and more intense.
There are also heat warnings in cities in the Balkans.
In Croatia, authorities reported the highest temperatures ever recorded in the Adriatic Seawhich stretches between that country and Italy, with the thermometer reaching almost 30 degrees Celsius next to the southern walled city of Dubrovnik, the country’s most popular tourist spot.
In Serbia, the state electricity company reported record consumption on Tuesday due to the use of air conditioning.
In Albania, the heat led the government to reschedule civil servants’ working hours, making it easier for some to work from home.
Neighboring North Macedonia had to deal with dozens of forest fires. One of them extended almost 30 kilometers. Firefighting aircraft from Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Romania and Turkey responded to the country’s call for help.
The brutal heat wave that is hitting southern Europe has not affected Paris, which will host the Olympics at the end of this month. On Tuesday, temperatures were 22 degrees Celsius, although they are expected to rise throughout the week before falling again after the weekend.
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