Italy is facing a severe heatwave that has claimed five lives and prompted authorities to issue red alerts in 18 cities on Friday. The victims include two farmers from Lodi and Piacenza, a homeless man in Naples, and another person who died near Pavia in Lombardy. The decision to declare the red alert was made during a technical committee meeting chaired by Health Minister Orazio Schillaci.

The alert covers major cities such as Rome, Milan, Florence, Venice, Turin, Bologna, Bari, and Genoa. Officials warned that the extreme weather poses health risks not only to vulnerable groups like the elderly, children, and chronically ill individuals but also to healthy people. The heatwave has disrupted cultural and public services, forcing Florence’s Uffizi Gallery to suspend ticket sales until at least June 28 due to air-conditioning failure.

Tourist sites such as Juliet’s House in Verona have partially closed, and court hearings in Palermo have been postponed. Local media reported a 20 percent rise in emergency admissions across Lombardy. Meteorologists expect temperatures to peak over the weekend.