Mayor presents an integrated strategy of climate shelters, tree-planting and de-paving as the capital positions itself as a laboratory for climate adaptation.Rome has unveiled a comprehensive strategy for reducing the impact of heatwaves, claiming to be the first Italian city to do so, with the inaugural 'Piano Caldo' or Heat Plan.The plan is built around ten lines of action and 30 operational measures, backed by an investment of €50 million over five years, and is intended to prepare the city for extreme heat and its consequences, as episodes similar to those Rome has endured in recent days become increasingly frequent. Officials describe it as the fruit of growing collaboration with other European cities facing the same challenge, alongside work already under way across several departments of the city adminstration. Rising temperatures, mounting risks The initiative follows a new climate monitoring report produced with scientific support from the Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change (CMCC), which found a marked rise in record-breaking hot days and heatwaves, an increase in "tropical nights" that fail to cool below 20°C, and the gradual disappearance of cooler spells altogether. The report notes that warming in the city is intensified by the urban heat island effect, whereby asphalt, buildings and vehicles absorb and retain heat. Italy braces for new heatwave with highs of 40°C The plan builds on the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy approved by the city in January 2025, which had already identified rising temperatures as a priority. Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri said the growing frequency and intensity of heatwaves "is no longer an exception, but the rule across the world", adding that Rome could not stand still in the face of impacts that risk overwhelming key infrastructure, undermining urban liveability, and hitting the most vulnerable residents hardest. Greener, cooler streets A central pillar of the plan is expanding tree cover and green space. Since 2022, the city's tree stock has grown by 38,000, with hundreds of thousands more plantings under way or planned through department of environment and municipal projects, supported by EU recovery funds (PNRR). The city also said that green areas have grown by 187 hectares (+4.56 per cent) since 2021, including new parks, upgraded neighbourhood green spaces and five new riverside parks along the Tiber. Rome to trial giant 'bioclimatic tree' to tackle urban heat To combat the heat island effect, the city has de-paved and redeveloped 44,501 square metres of land since 2024 across 40 separate interventions on streets, squares and pavements, alongside new sustainability criteria written into the building code. Street-cleaning teams have also stepped up water-based cooling operations, with municipal waste company Ama covering more than 13,260 km a month between January and May 2026. Shelters, services and support for the vulnerable The plan also introduces a network of "climate shelters" - a public map of libraries, cultural centres, parks and other accessible spaces where residents can find relief during the hottest days, alongside enhanced cooling in nursery schools and support for elderly residents and other vulnerable groups. City officials frame the plan as evidence that Rome intends to treat extreme heat not as a passing emergency but as a structural feature of its future summers, requiring long-term investment across green infrastructure, public services and urban design. Photo credit: Alessia Pierdomenico / Shutterstock.com

Rome has unveiled a comprehensive strategy for reducing the impact of heatwaves, claiming to be the first Italian city to do so, with the inaugural '' or Heat Plan. The plan is built around ten lines of action and 30 operational measures, backed by an investment of €50 million over five years, and is intended to prepare the city for extreme heat and its consequences, as episodes similar to those Rome has endured in recent days become increasingly frequent. Officials describe it as the fruit of growing collaboration with other European cities facing the same challenge, alongside work already under way across several departments of the city adminstration. The initiative follows a new climate monitoring report produced with scientific support from the Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change (CMCC), which found a marked rise in record-breaking hot days and heatwaves, an increase in "tropical nights" that fail to cool below 20°C, and the gradual disappearance of cooler spells altogether. The report notes that warming in the city is intensified by the urban heat island effect, whereby asphalt, buildings and vehicles absorb and retain heat.

• Italy braces for new heatwave with highs of 40°C

The plan builds on the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy approved by the city in January 2025, which had already identified rising temperatures as a priority. Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri said the growing frequency and intensity of heatwaves "is no longer an exception, but the rule across the world", adding that Rome could not stand still in the face of impacts that risk overwhelming key infrastructure, undermining urban liveability, and hitting the most vulnerable residents hardest. A central pillar of the plan is expanding tree cover and green space. Since 2022, the city's tree stock has grown by 38,000, with hundreds of thousands more plantings under way or planned through department of environment and municipal projects, supported by EU recovery funds (PNRR). The city also said that green areas have grown by 187 hectares (+4.56 per cent) since 2021, including new parks, upgraded neighbourhood green spaces and five new riverside parks along the Tiber.

• Rome to trial giant 'bioclimatic tree' to tackle urban heat

To combat the heat island effect, the city has de-paved and redeveloped 44,501 square metres of land since 2024 across 40 separate interventions on streets, squares and pavements, alongside new sustainability criteria written into the building code. Street-cleaning teams have also stepped up water-based cooling operations, with municipal waste company Ama covering more than 13,260 km a month between January and May 2026. The plan also introduces a network of "climate shelters" - a public map of libraries, cultural centres, parks and other accessible spaces where residents can find relief during the hottest days, alongside enhanced cooling in nursery schools and support for elderly residents and other vulnerable groups. City officials frame the plan as evidence that Rome intends to treat extreme heat not as a passing emergency but as a structural feature of its future summers, requiring long-term investment across green infrastructure, public services and urban design. Photo credit: Alessia Pierdomenico / Shutterstock.com