Every year the same conversations return with the seasons.
“Oh my God, isn’t it cold today?” people say in winter. Then, a few months later: “Oh my God, isn’t it hot today?”
Of course, in Italy the seasons are very clearly marked. This is one of the first things you notice if you spend a year here. Winter feels like winter, summer feels like summer, and spring and autumn have their own unmistakable character.This is very different from England, where the maritime climate can sometimes give the impression of experiencing four seasons in one day. Italians often smile when they arrive in Britain and discover that sunshine, rain, wind and cold can all appear within a few hours.

But this summer in Italy is different. This is not simply the usual complaint that summer is hot. The heat has become something much more serious.
The evidence is everywhere: the retreat of glaciers in the Alps, the problems of the Po river, falling water levels in lakes, drought, and the terrible forest fires that have affected many parts of the country, indeed Europe. This is no longer just a matter of saying, “What a hot day!” This is a changing climate that is affecting everyday life.

Fortunately, Italy has always known how to escape the heat.
The obvious solution is altitude. Italy is a mountainous country, and even in central Italy the Apennines rise high enough to provide a welcome refuge. I remember when I first came here on my motorbike — a Honda Transalp — and Florence felt almost unbearable in summer. I would simply get on the bike and climb higher and higher into the mountains, finding a village in the Apennines where the air was fresh and the temperature completely different.
Then there are the houses themselves. Older Italian houses were built for the climate: thick stone walls, shutters, and rooms designed to remain cool. At the moment I am writing this from my own cantina, the cellar of the house. In winter it is a place where you would not dream of spending time — cold and damp. But in the middle of summer it is a wonderful refuge, naturally cool without the need for air conditioning.
Italy has adapted to heat over centuries. Life moves differently. People work earlier, rest during the hottest hours, and come alive again in the evening. Walk into an Italian supermarket in summer and you understand immediately what air conditioning means — it feels almost like entering Iceland! Not forgetting ample doses of gelato Italian ice cream!

Britain faces a different challenge. For generations it prepared itself for cold weather. Central heating, insulation and systems to deal with winter are normal parts of life. But extreme heat is different. Many buildings and workplaces were never designed for long periods of high temperatures.
The question now is whether Britain will have to rethink its approach. Perhaps future generations will need support not only for heating homes in winter but also for protecting people from excessive heat in summer, especially the elderly and vulnerable.
Even here in Italy, many people say that air conditioning is not always the perfect answer. A simple fan uses far less energy and can often make a remarkable difference.
Personally, I have had to change my own routine. I now wake at five in the morning. As soon as there is daylight, I try to do the heavier jobs — cutting the grass, cleaning the car, anything that requires effort — before the heat becomes too intense.
After ten o’clock the day changes. We eat earlier, breakfast is lighter, and there is plenty of water, fruit and vegetable salads. Then comes the traditional siesta. There is no point behaving like the famous “mad dogs and Englishmen” and going out in the midday sun.
So here I am, in my little cantina, enjoying the coolness and waiting for the evening. Later, when the sun has lost its power, life begins again. Perhaps there will be a visit to the Teatro della Verzura in Borgo Mozzano, where discussions and performances take place late in the evening — at a time when in many northern countries the day would already be ending.
Of course, Italy has other escapes too. There are the mountains, the sea, and for us here in the Serchio valley, the beautiful clear waters of the Lima river — our own little “Miami Beach”, as people jokingly call it.

And talking of heat, there was also plenty of heat in another sense recently: football. It was sixty years since England won the World Cup in 1966, a moment I remember well, listening to that unforgettable commentary. Since then England has reached the later stages several times, but never managed to repeat that success. At least it got its third place medal, the first time ever.
Perhaps one day.
So, whether it is the weather, football, or life itself, there always seems to be something to heat us up. But here in Italy, at least, there are still ways to escape: climb higher, find shade, retreat to the cantina, or wait for the third place medal, evening breeze.
And when the temperatures finally fall, I know what will happen.
We will all start complaining that it is too cold again.

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