I landed in Palermo, Sicily on July 6, during the peak of the lunch hour. Greeted by beaming sunshine and 30C of dry heat, I was excited for my 14-day road trip around the Italian island: beach-hopping, wine-sipping and touring the island’s abundant architectural landmarks with my backpack in tow. I was certain that nothing could possibly go wrong. I had ensured to pack all the holiday essentials: factor 50 sunscreen, bug sprays, light clothing, sun hats… But I was completely unaware that I had just landed in a future red-alert zone.
A few days into my trip, the Cerberus heatwave and the Charon anticyclone started bringing highs of 44C to Sicily. As the days went on, I found myself spending the majority of the trip planning around the scorching, intensifying temperatures.
Our holiday plans changed drastically. We settled for shorter daytime visits to picturesque towns, much later starts to the day and making the most of the evenings. Want to get out and explore in that heat? Forget taking long walks: you need a car. We opted to drive along the dreamy coastlines, with the air con blasting and a six-pack of water in the back seat. Where we might have liked to spend the whole day at a beachside restaurant, we stopped off for brief stays along the way.
In fact, travelling to restaurants at all was pretty much off the cards. We stayed in small towns where shopkeepers typically close up shop from midday until late afternoon. While restaurants were closed, our lunchtimes were spent in local bars with air conditioning, baked goods and (most importantly) granita. Despite our efforts to stay in the shade, my partner still ended up with a bad sunburn, and I landed a severe heat rash.
Although we may have lost a few hours of each day, we were lucky – we weren’t caught in such a severe weather event as the wildfires in Greece, for instance. While we didn’t allow the heatwave to ruin our holiday, if I’d had the choice to change the dates, I definitely would have done.
If, like us, you find yourself travelling in Europe during the blistering heat – which is expected to last into August – here are a few tips that helped us make the most out of our trip.
Avoid drinking alcohol
Although Sicily is known for its delicious white wines, alcohol heightens your body temperature, makes you sweat, and, most importantly, dehydrates you. If you’re not careful, a summer cocktail or a glass of white at the beachside could send you into a hot flush.
Avoid going out in the middle of the day
Most of our trips around the island were in a vehicle with access to air conditioning. Yet even in the car, both of our phones died at one point from overheating. I recommend avoiding leaving your house during the sun’s peak hours. During the heatwave, these hours can be as long as 10am until 5pm. Luckily, there were plenty of opportunities to do excursions during the evening, which allowed us to tour architectural sites without getting too hot.
Wear light clothing
Wear 100 percent cotton or linen and natural, light colours to avoid that sticky feeling. A good sun hat is probably the most important thing you can pack.
Drink plenty of water
Ensure to hydrate by drinking plenty of water on your travels. Stocking up on water in local supermarkets saved me during the extended lunch hours when shops and restaurants were closed.
Read our explainer on the European heatwave: how long will it last, and is it safe to travel?
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