https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Italy in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The Italian island of Sicily has declared a state of emergency over a record drought that has withered crops and all but dried up pastures, threatening the livelihood of dozens of local farmers. https://www.thelocal.it/20240229/tragic-situation-how-a-record-drought-is-devastating-sicily Thu, 29 Feb 2024 10:42:22 +0100 tragic-situation-how-a-record-drought-is-devastating-sicily Venice’s famous canals are suffering from a lack of water, but how unusual is this and does it really have anything to do with the drought hitting northern Italy? https://www.thelocal.it/20230223/fact-check-are-venice-canals-really-going-dry-because-of-the-drought Thu, 23 Feb 2023 17:56:47 +0100 fact-check-are-venice-canals-really-going-dry-because-of-the-drought Millions of people in Italy could see their water supplies disrupted again this spring, as authorities warned of likely shortages due to the severe drought hitting northern regions. https://www.thelocal.it/20230224/italy-warns-of-water-shortages-after-winter-drought Fri, 24 Feb 2023 12:50:27 +0100 italy-warns-of-water-shortages-after-winter-drought After experiencing its worst drought in seven decades last year, Italy looks on course to experience another water emergency in the coming months. Here’s why. https://www.thelocal.it/20230221/explained-why-italy-is-already-braced-for-another-major-drought Tue, 21 Feb 2023 14:27:36 +0100 explained-why-italy-is-already-braced-for-another-major-drought Local tourism promoters insisted on Tuesday that summer activities can still go ahead on Italy's northern lakes, despite receding waters. https://www.thelocal.it/20220817/water-levels-on-italys-lake-garda-drop-to-15-year-low-as-drought-continues Wed, 17 Aug 2022 13:00:15 +0200 water-levels-on-italys-lake-garda-drop-to-15-year-low-as-drought-continues The month of January was one of the hottest on record in Italy, but don't pack away the winter clothes just yet – there's rain, snow, and cold winds in store for February. https://www.thelocal.it/20180201/weather-italy-january-heat-drought-february-wind-rain-snow Thu, 01 Feb 2018 11:41:37 +0100 weather-italy-january-heat-drought-february-wind-rain-snow This year has been the driest in Italy in more than two centuries, according to climate monitors. https://www.thelocal.it/20171206/2017-italy-driest-year-since-1800 Wed, 06 Dec 2017 11:53:53 +0100 2017-italy-driest-year-since-1800 The source of Italy's River Po has completely dried up due to prolonged drought this summer, with knock-on effects for agricultural production across the northern region. https://www.thelocal.it/20170906/source-italys-longest-river-po-piedmont-monviso-dried-up-summer-drought-climate Wed, 06 Sep 2017 12:21:00 +0200 source-italys-longest-river-po-piedmont-monviso-dried-up-summer-drought-climate Italy's annual wine harvest, the biggest in the world, is off to its earliest start in a decade as the country swelters in a heatwave following months of drought. https://www.thelocal.it/20170804/heatstruck-italy-starts-harvesting-its-thirsty-vines Fri, 04 Aug 2017 16:20:03 +0200 heatstruck-italy-starts-harvesting-its-thirsty-vines A heatwave that has left Italy sweltering in record temperatures sparked wildfires on Thursday which claimed the life of one elderly woman and forced the closure of a major highway. https://www.thelocal.it/20170804/italy-heatwave-and-drought-spark-killer-wildfires Fri, 04 Aug 2017 10:39:25 +0200 italy-heatwave-and-drought-spark-killer-wildfires Plans to ration water in Rome amid a prolonged drought have been averted. https://www.thelocal.it/20170731/italy-drought-no-water-rationing-in-rome Mon, 31 Jul 2017 17:28:53 +0200 italy-drought-no-water-rationing-in-rome After a brief respite, temperatures across Italy are set to creep up again this week, eclipsing 40 degrees Celsius in Sardinia. https://www.thelocal.it/20170731/italy-braces-for-the-hottest-week-of-the-year Mon, 31 Jul 2017 11:33:26 +0200 italy-braces-for-the-hottest-week-of-the-year Plans to ration water in drought-hit Rome could have serious consequences for public health, Italy's health minister warned on Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.it/20170727/health-risk-alarm-over-water-rationing-in-rome Thu, 27 Jul 2017 09:30:56 +0200 health-risk-alarm-over-water-rationing-in-rome All fountains within Vatican City have been switched off in a show of solidarity with Italy as the country endures a prolonged drought. https://www.thelocal.it/20170725/italy-drought-vatican-switches-off-fountains-in-show-of-solidarity Tue, 25 Jul 2017 13:15:37 +0200 italy-drought-vatican-switches-off-fountains-in-show-of-solidarity Some 1.5 million Rome residents are bracing themselves for water rationing as Italy grapples with a severe drought. https://www.thelocal.it/20170724/rome-faces-water-rationing-as-drought-ravages-italy Mon, 24 Jul 2017 11:12:45 +0200 rome-faces-water-rationing-as-drought-ravages-italy Around 1,000 tourists were evacuated from a village in Sicily as a fire raged on Wednesday evening, firefighters said. https://www.thelocal.it/20170713/1000-tourists-evacuated-sicily-village-over-fire-wildfire Thu, 13 Jul 2017 11:46:06 +0200 1000-tourists-evacuated-sicily-village-over-fire-wildfire Tourists and residents were reportedly evacuated from parts of Mount Vesuvius for the second time in a week on Tuesday, after several separate blazes broke out close to the volcano. https://www.thelocal.it/20170711/blaze-at-vesuvius-fires-continue-southern-italy-sicily-messina-enna Tue, 11 Jul 2017 16:01:46 +0200 blaze-at-vesuvius-fires-continue-southern-italy-sicily-messina-enna Rome's public water fountains are a symbol of the city, and a welcome source of refreshment for thousands of tourists and locals. But from today, many of the capital's drinking fountains will be turned off, as Italy grapples with severe drought. https://www.thelocal.it/20170630/rome-is-turning-off-its-public-fountains-to-cope-with-drought Fri, 30 Jun 2017 12:28:40 +0200 rome-is-turning-off-its-public-fountains-to-cope-with-drought If you're already sweltering in the Italian summer temperatures, we've got some bad news: the heatwave is just getting started. https://www.thelocal.it/20170621/its-about-to-get-even-hotter-in-italy-summer-weather-heatwave Wed, 21 Jun 2017 13:26:19 +0200 its-about-to-get-even-hotter-in-italy-summer-weather-heatwave The north of Italy is facing drought due to unusually low rainfall and high temperatures, agricultural organization Coldiretti has said. https://www.thelocal.it/20170410/alarm-over-drought-across-northern-italy Mon, 10 Apr 2017 17:03:16 +0200 alarm-over-drought-across-northern-italy