The heat wave affecting Italy is expected to last at least ten more days, beyond Ferragosto. Forecasts indicate that the African anticyclone will continue to dominate the weather pattern, with a possible but modest drop in temperatures around August 19. July 2026 was the hottest month ever recorded in Italy, with the Northern Hemisphere average temperature on July 31 at 22.72 degrees Celsius, compared to 22.37 two years earlier.

Twenty-six Italian cities are marked with the red heat alert by the Ministry of Health, a number expected to decrease to 21 starting August 8. Heat storms are forecast in the north, which could bring a slight temperature drop. Forty-eight degrees were recorded on the asphalt at Naples Central Station. Cnr researcher Marco Morabito described the situation as no longer an emergency but structural, noting that new records are set each year in terms of early onset of extreme events.

Experts agree on the need to adapt cities and homes to high temperatures. Morabito recommends interventions on roofs, which should be white or light-colored to increase albedo, the ability to reflect solar radiation, and the same principle applied to pavements. He also recommends cooling paints, materials that reduce heat accumulation, draining pavements, and external solar shading such as louvers and awnings to prevent solar radiation from directly hitting glass surfaces.

Urban greenery represents another pillar of adaptation strategies. Morabito emphasizes the importance of urban reforestation zones for cooling through evapotranspiration, shading, pollutant interception, and rainwater management. Geologist Mario Tozzi adds that adding individual natural elements is not enough but continuity of vegetation is needed, creating urban forests. Daniele Pileri of the Politecnico di Milano proposes reducing roads and parking while enhancing public transport.

Several European and international cities have already launched strategies of this kind. Barcelona has adopted the superblocks plan, with 160 additional hectares of green space planned by 2030 compared to 2015, at least nine hectares of new shaded surfaces, draining pavements, and fountains in all districts. Paris has created urban forests in central squares such as the Hotel de Ville. Medellin, Colombia, has planted 200,000 trees and created 35 green corridors connecting different areas of the city.

Climate refuges, air-conditioned spaces such as cinemas or shopping centers, are considered by experts an emergency measure useful for the most vulnerable people but not a long-term strategy. Tozzi also notes that air conditioning cools interiors but expels heat outside, contributing to rising city temperatures, while trees absorb that heat.

The debate also includes the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Tozzi warns that adaptation alone risks becoming insufficient if not accompanied by emission reductions, as infrastructure designed for a two-degree temperature increase may not be adequate if warming reaches four degrees. Morabito and Professor Lorenzo Giovannini describe current conditions as a new summer normality destined to worsen in future years.