Severe heat waves hit Southern Europe as local authorities warn against wildfire risks
Major heat waves across Southern Europe have pushed temperatures above 40 C (104 F) in countries including Italy, Spain and Greece, as local authorities issued fresh warnings against the risk of wildfires.
Experts link the rising frequency and intensity of these heatwaves to climate change, warning that such extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common across Europe's southern region.
Severe heat waves were recorded in Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal before the weekend, with locals and tourists alike taking shelter from the sweltering conditions.
Two-thirds of Portugal were on high alert on Sunday for extreme heat and wildfires, with temperatures expected to top 42 C (107 F) in Lisbon.
In Italy, a few regions — Lazio, Tuscany, Calabria, Puglia and Umbria — were planning to ban some outdoor work activities during the hottest hours of the day in response to the record-high temperatures. Italian trade unions pushed the government to expand such measures at a national level.
On Sunday, the Italian Health Ministry placed 21 out of 27 monitored cities under its highest heat alert, including top holiday destinations like Rome, Milan and Naples.
In Rome, tourists tried to seek shade near popular spots like the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain, using umbrellas and drinking from public water fountains to stay cool.
Similar scenes were reported in Milan and Naples, where street vendors sold lemonade to tourists and residents to offer some refreshment from the heat.
Greece was again on high wildfire alert because of extreme weather, with the first summer heat wave expected to continue throughout the weekend.
A large wildfire broke out south of Athens on Thursday, forcing evacuations and road closures near the ancient Temple of Poseidon. Strong winds spread the flames, damaging homes and sending smoke across the sky.
Greek authorities deployed 130 firefighters, 12 planes and 12 helicopters to battle the blaze, while police evacuated 40 people, with five areas under evacuation orders.
In Spain, locals and tourists were desperately trying to keep cool this weekend, as the country sizzled in temperatures as high as 42 C (107 F) in the southern city of Seville along with other locations in southern and central parts of the country.
Southern regions of Spain recorded temperatures above seasonal averages, prompting health alerts and safety recommendations from authorities. The country's national meteorological service Aemet has said that June is set to break yet another record, becoming the hottest such month since records started.
Experts warned that intense heat can affect daily life, especially for vulnerable populations such as the elderly and children.
Local authorities advised against physical activity during the hottest hours of the day, and recommended drinking plenty of fluids.
A Lancet Public Health study published last year highlighted the increasing risk of heat-related deaths because of climate change. The study predicted that heat-related deaths could more than quadruple by mid-century under current climate policies.
While more people currently die from cold than heat, the study stressed that rising temperatures will offset the benefits of milder winters, leading to a significant net increase in heat-related mortality.
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The Sun
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We've all seen them on a summer holiday and felt a twinge of jealousy. I'm talking about the smug people on yachts. Picture this: you're sitting in a quaint Greek taverna by the harbour. A plate of moussaka and carafe of cheap plonk are under way. The sun is setting and you're feeling pretty good about your holiday, when — like an uninvited dinner party guest — a sleek superyacht glides up and drops anchor. You can even hear the champagne bottles popping. It's enough to make you feel sick. Well, last summer in Greece, for the first and possibly last time, I was not on the harbour looking on enviously. I was on the yacht. And I can confirm, it was glorious. Two years ago I made my cruise debut on the 25-cabin Elysium, the first ship from the boutique Greek cruise line Elixir. I well and truly caught the cruising bug. Last summer I tried out its second ship, Gemaya, which, with just five cabins, is even more exclusive. 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The boat was stocked with board games to keep people entertained. As well as Netflix, there's wi-fi, a video console and TV upstairs for children (although no under 14s are permitted, unless the yacht is chartered privately). But the board games stayed in their boxes. 'They all wanted to eat together at the same table,' Terdimos says. 'We've had people make friends and swap numbers at the end of the week.' Elixir is an exciting new cruise line to watch. After launching its first ship, Elysium in 2021, and a bit of a shaky start thanks to Covid, all cruises for the 2024 season were booked out. The company is adding a third ship to the fleet in 2026 and hopefully another the year after. The company is run by Terdimos and his ex-wife, Manya Louvari — Gemaya is named after them and their son, George. • The boutique new cruise company that feels like a yacht Thanks to the proximity of the islands, minimal time is spent sailing. There's fun to be had renting a moped at the port (£17 a day for most islands). On Kimolos — less touristy than its neighbour, Milos — I spend the afternoon stopping at beaches after zipping along dirt tracks past dusty fields full of goats. Gemaya is even better than chartering your own yacht because for the whole week I don't lift a finger. There's a crew of five who do everything from serving drinks and turning down the bedrooms to organising watersports (sea bobs, water skis, snorkels and paddleboards). Stefanos Bagkos is the happy-go-lucky ship's captain who makes sure we're up to date with swim stops via a WhatsApp group. Sometimes we drop anchor only long enough to paddleboard to shore and lay our towels on the sand before we're hopping to another island. In all honesty, sometimes it's hard to keep track of them. 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Some on our cruise opt for rosette-worthy fine dining but I never tire of freshly grilled sardines with a wedge of lemon and Greek salad at a paper-tablecloth taverna. There is one particularly standout meal, though, at the Makris restaurant at the Domes resort on Milos, an island with no direct international flights to the UK but one that is quickly becoming the must-visit for the jet set. Dinner of sea bass cooked in lobster butter is served with a view of the infinity pool that stretches into a yawning sunset with the lunar rock formations of Sarakiniko beach in the distance (mains from £23; After becoming accustomed to stopping on tiny islands like Anafi (population about 300), I'm braced for chaos when we pull into the caldera of Santorini and our dinky yacht is immediately dwarfed by three big cruise ships. But it turns out to be the ideal way to see the Instagram-famous island: we visit the blue-domed churches of Oia — then retreat a safe distance away to the water for the night. I sip my final whisky of the trip with the other passengers and watch the twinkling lights of Santorini in the distance. We swap Instagram accounts and numbers and vow to stay in touch. My Netflix account remains unused. Tomorrow I'll be on an easyJet flight back home, but for one final night, I feel like the one per Gatens was a guest of Elixir Cruises, which has seven nights' half-board on an Aegean Escape voyage from £3,260pp, including an open bar and transfers for travel between May and October ( Fly to Athens
