That’s what they’re telling us, “Ancora due giorni di pioggia poi arriva la vera estate”. (“Still two more days of rain and then the real summer will arrive”).

Personally, I’m quite happy with the way the things are right now. I can put up with a few showers and thunderstorms if it means having a cooler, fresher summer.
It’s not that I can’t stand the heat, I just find it so limiting. Long walks, gardening, sports, exploring towns, and so on are out of the question. Unless you get up at 6 a.m. because by about 10 o’clock it’s getting too hot for comfort, and you instinctively retreat to spend the rest of the day indoors, shutters closed, in semi-darkness. There, in the safety of your cave you while away the hours until early evening, when the first threads of cool air begin to snake their way through windows that you’ve left slightly ajar in the vain hope of circulating a bit of air.

Shutters aren’t just for decoration, they are used to regulate the heat and light that enters a building. Photo: Geoff Chamberlain ©2014 All Rights Reserved

Unless, of course,  you’re a mad dog, an Englishman … or, come to that, tourist of any nationality. These poor creatures emerge from their holiday dwelling at around 11 a.m., just around the time that the rest of us have retreated, like vampires, to our respective cool shady places, far from the withering rays of the Italian sun. They scuttle across scorching piazzas, cowering beneath large floppy hats of the type that people wear only when on holiday, seeking yet another refreshing church to pretend to be interested in. There’s nothing much else to do, as all the sensible locals have closed up shop, not to be seen again until late afternoon, when all the weary tourists have either retreated to their hotels, or been carted off to the pronto soccorso (Emergency First Aid Centre) to be treated for sunstroke. Definitely NOT my idea of a good time.

“large floppy hats of the type that people wear only when on holiday” Photo by Constantino Arias (Public Domain)

Well, these heat loving tourists will be pleased by the latest meteo (weather forecast) … and will feel fully justified in their choice of headwear.

“Il sole, però, è in arrivo: “Da mercoledì e per tutto il resto della settimana … si stabilirà l’alta pressione dell’Anticiclone Nord-Africano: nella seconda parte della settimana quindi tempo bello … e temperature in crescita, tipicamente estive”.”

“The sun, however, is on its way: “From Wednesday and for the rest of the week the high pressure of the North African anticyclone will establish itself: therefore, good weather for the second part of the week … and typical summer temperatures on the rise.”

“Arriva la vera estate” (“The real summer will arrive”)

“Martedì la coda della perturbazione si avvertirà in particolare al Centrosud, portando un calo delle temperature … da mercoledì tornerà finalmente il volto vero dell’estate: grazie all’espansione dell’Anticiclone Nordafricano prenderà il via un nuovo periodo di tempo bello e in prevalenza soleggiato, con temperature in graduale aumento e picchi oltre i 30° già da metà settimana.”

“On Tuesday the tail end of the disturbance will make itself felt, especially in the centre south, bringing a drop in temperatures … but, from Wednesday the real summer (literally: the real face of summer) will finally return: thanks to the expanding North African anticyclone a new period of good, predominantly sunny, weather will move in, with gradually rising temperatures and peaks of more than 30 degrees Celsius by midweek.”

And the forecast for next weekend? “si prospettano due giorni di sole e caldo tipicamente estivo in tutto il Paese.” (“two days of typical summer sun and heat are expected throughout the country.”)

… hmmm, time to prepare the bat cave!

Excerpts in Italian taken from Il Corriere Della Sera