A partial eclipse will unfold at sunset on 12 August, with the north-west enjoying the best views in Italy. Experts urge careful planning and proper eye protection.Italy is preparing for one of the more unusual astronomical events in years, as a solar eclipse coincides with sunset on Wednesday 12 August.  While Europe will witness its first total solar eclipse in two decades, with the moon fully blotting out the sun along a narrow band running from Greenland and Iceland across northern Spain to the Balearic Islands, observers in Italy will only see a partial eclipse, low on the western horizon as the sun sets.   According to astrophysicist Gianluca Masi, scientific curator of Rome's Planetarium and Astronomical Museum, a total eclipse requires a precise alignment of Sun, Moon and Earth at a New Moon, which is why full totality is visible only along an extremely narrow strip of the Earth's surface, roughly 200 to 300 kilometres wide this time.   Nowhere in Italy will the solar corona be visible, but the spectacle should still be striking for those who prepare properly.   Best places to watch in Italy Coverage of the solar disc will vary considerably by region, from around 10 per cent in the south to as much as 95–97 per cent in the north-west. Lombardia, Sardinia, Piemonte, Valle d'Aosta and Liguria are expected to offer the best views, with Asinara and western Liguria singled out as particularly favourable locations.   In Milan, the eclipse begins at around 19.27, reaches its maximum near 20.20, with the Sun covered by over 92 per cent, before sunset at about 20.35.   In Rome, where coverage will be more modest, the eclipse starts around 19.32 and peaks at roughly 20.07-20.11, with the Sun covered by an estimated 58-69 per cent according to different models, before setting shortly afterwards at around 20.14. Viewing points in Rome include the Gianicolo, Pincio and Monte Mario, as well as coastal areas near the capital.   Florence is expected to see coverage of around 83 per cent at its peak, while further south the effect diminishes: Naples around 36-46 per cent, Palermo about 25 per cent, and Catanzaro under nine per cent.   Because the eclipse coincides with sunset, Masi stresses that "very careful planning" is essential. He recommends choosing a viewing spot with a completely unobstructed view towards the north-west or west, free of hills, buildings or trees, since the sun will sit only two to four degrees above the horizon at the critical moment.   He suggests carrying out a "sunset test" a couple of days beforehand, using tools such as the Time and Date website or the Eclipsemap.xyz web app to check whether the sun is genuinely still visible from a chosen spot at the predicted time, or apps such as Stellarium Mobile, PhotoPills, Sun Surveyor or Sun Seeker to trace the sun's path using a smartphone camera.   Coastal locations facing west, such as stretches of the Tyrrhenian coast, are generally well placed, whereas alpine valleys are best avoided, as surrounding peaks can hide the sun before the eclipse even begins.   Recommended locations, as listed by Corriere della Sera newspaper, include Parco Monte Stella and the eastern shore of Lake Maggiore near Milan; the Basilica di Superga and the Langhe hills near Turin; Capo Sant'Ampelio and Capo Noli in Liguria; the Bologna hills around San Luca; Livorno's Terrazza Mascagni, Punta Ala and the island of Elba in Tuscany; and Stintino, the island of Asinara and Capo Caccia in Sardinia.   Adding to the appeal, the same night will also be favourable for watching the Perseid meteor shower, which peaks around this period, giving stargazers a double reason to head outdoors after dark. Viewing the eclipse safely Italian health authorities stress that the sun must never be viewed directly without proper protection, given the risk of irreversible retinal damage or permanent blindness. Certified eclipse glasses meeting the ISO 12312-2 safety standard are inexpensive and widely available, and ordinary sunglasses, blackened glass or improvised filters offer no genuine protection.   Because the eclipse will be partial across Italy, some may assume the risk is lower, but experts warn this is not the case. Binoculars or telescopes must never be pointed at the sun without professional, certified solar filters fitted to the front of the instrument, since optical devices concentrate sunlight to a degree the naked eye cannot tolerate.   One exception applies specifically to this low-sun event: if haze or atmospheric conditions naturally dim the sun enough to be comfortably visible to the naked eye, as sometimes happens with a deep red sunset, brief unaided viewing may be possible - though this applies only to the naked eye, and never to binoculars or telescopes without filters. For those wanting to see the full total eclipse and solar corona, several organisations are streaming live coverage online, including the Virtual Telescope Project, Time and Date, and NASA, which is broadcasting from Villaibado, a small town in Spain's Burgos province that lies within the path of totality.