Italy’s biggest attractions have introduced late night opening hours as heatwave scorches country

Long, sweaty queues, excessive crowds, and stifling heat: visiting Italy’s major cities during the summer is an endurance test like no other. 

With the country currently melting under excessive summertime temperatures, Italian officials have decided to make things a little more comfortable for those visiting its major attractions. From August 1, three of Italy’s biggest attractions will open late into the night, allowing visitors to experience the sites when the temperature is much more manageable.

Which attractions are open late this summer?

Rome’s Colosseum and Pantheon, along with Milan's Castello Sforzesco, are all opening late for the entire month, giving visitors the chance to explore without melting in the process. 

According to an official statement from Italy’s Culture Ministry, the trial scheme operates as follows. On Fridays and Saturdays, the Colosseum will stay open more than four hours past its usual closing time, until 11.30pm, while the Pantheon will open from 7pm to 11pm every day excepy Thursdays.

In Milan, the Castello Sforzesco will extend opening times for two extra hours daily, until 7.30pm. There are also discounted tickets up for grabs throughout August to see Michelangelo's ‘Pietà Rondanini’ and the Passione e Disegno exhibition inside. It's worth checking the official Castello Sforzesco site for exact pricing.

It’s not just about beating the heat; Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli hopes the extended hours will allow visitors to experience these landmarks in a whole new light (literally).

‘The special evening openings of the Colosseum and the Pantheon offer an opportunity to experience, in a particularly evocative setting, two universal testaments to history and human ingenuity,’ said Giuli in a statement. 

In just ten years, cultural tourism has leapt from Italy’s seventh most common reason for a visit to number one.

Rome’s heat has made headlines for weeks, and the pressure on staff working outdoors has been building all summer. Last August, a Colosseum tour guide died after collapsing during a shift in 31C heat, prompting Italy’s tour guide federation to call for earlier opening times and better protection from the sun. Evening openings won’t solve that on their own, but they're a practical step toward letting people see Rome’s biggest landmarks without doing it in the worst of the midday heat. 

Heatwaves across Europe right now

This isn’t just a Rome problem. Europe is currently in the grip of its fourth major heatwave of the summer, with a stubborn high-pressure system dragging hot air up from the Sahara and refusing to budge. Red, orange and amber alerts have been issued across multiple countries, with Italy alone placing 27 major cities, including Rome, Milan, Naples and Venice, under a red alert this week.

Spain has seen temperatures climbing into the mid 40s, while wildfires have forced mass evacuations in southwest France. Scientists point to Europe warming at roughly twice the global average since the 1980s as the reason these heatwaves keep coming earlier and hitting harder each year. 

Here's Time Out's full guide to Rome, from where to eat to where to stay.

Fancy somewhere cooler? These are Europe’s best coolcations to beat the heat.

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