Peak heat in Italy, also affected by fires

Italy is hit this week by a heat peak accompanied by fires in the south of the country, especially in Sicily and Calabria, where a UNESCO listed natural park is threatened. The peninsula is currently facing its hottest week of summer, with temperatures already reaching over 47 degrees in Sicily near Syracuse.

The National Meteorological Service expects the record for the highest temperature ever recorded in Italy (48.5 degrees in 1999 in Sicily) to be broken on Wednesday.

In Calabria, flames threaten the Unesco Global Geopark of Aspromonte, a complex of mountains, ridges and plateaus nearly 2,000 meters high alternating with deep valleys rising on a peninsular fragment of the Apennine chain, offering a spectacular panorama over the Strait of Messina, Mount Etna and the Aeolian Islands.

Sardinia, where a 35-year-old breeder suspected of arson was arrested on Tuesday, is not spared: 13 fires were recorded for the day of Tuesday alone, and six of them required the intervention of means aerial.

Read also: Wildfires in Algeria: fundraising is organized to support the victims (video)

In the coming days, the anticyclone responsible for the heat wave overwhelming Italy, aptly named Lucifer, is expected to move north, where temperatures are expected to reach 39-40 degrees in Tuscany for the weekend of August 15. (center) and in Lazio (Rome region).