Drought tightens across Italy, Sardinia's interior feels the strain

Cities and regions across Italy are issuing ordinances to limit water use amid drought conditions and dwindling supplies, according to The Local Italy. The measures, which range from bans on watering gardens to restrictions on filling swimming pools, reflect a summer of acute dryness that has gripped the peninsula and its islands.

For Sardinia, the drought compounds a longer-term vulnerability. The island's interior, home to a pastoral economy built on sheep farming and agriculture, depends on reservoirs that have been shrinking under repeated dry winters. The Ogliastra region, known internationally for the longevity of its inhabitants, relies on a landscape that is increasingly water-stressed.

The restrictions come as Italy places nearly all of its major cities under the highest alert for heat, with temperatures touching 40C during the latest heatwave. The combination of extreme heat and water scarcity threatens both the island's agricultural output and its tourism-dependent coastal economy.