Red alert heatwave tests Italy's alpine refuge

Italy is to place all of its 27 major cities, from Trieste in the north to Palermo in the south, under the highest heat alert as the fourth heatwave to hit the country this summer intensifies, according to the Guardian.

A red alert has been issued as temperatures in some areas edge close to 40C, the Guardian reported on Wednesday. The measure covers every major urban centre across the peninsula, signalling the severity of a summer that has already seen repeated heat emergencies.

The red alert applies to cities, but its effects ripple outward to the mountain regions that millions of Italians look to as a refuge from the heat.