The crisis is partly as a result of this year’s unusually hot summer – temperatures in Rome are expected to hit 38 ˚C this week – but a crucial factor is that the Lazio region, in which Rome lies, has experienced two exceptionally dry winters in a row.

“When I arrived at the break of day, I saw a destroyed village, screams, death... We are truly in a desperate situation" - Bishop Giovanni D'Ercole of Ascoli Piceno.