It's so hot in Floridia, Sicily that snails are burning in their shells


It was so hot in the small Sicilian town of Floridia this week that the snails for which the region is known began burning in their shells, The New York Times reports.
Temperatures may have reached a sweltering 124 degrees on Wednesday, as a blistering heat wave that's been ravaging Italy and the surrounding areas for weeks hit its climax, writes the Times. As a result, snails were cooked inside their shells, unable to move as their feet burned to the hot ground. Meanwhile, lemons, farmed by field laborers, began quickly rotting, as orange trees sizzled in the heat.
"It's terrible for everybody, for the workers and the plants," said laborer Mario Pignato. "The damage is awful. We're not talking about a day or a few days, we're talking about months of heat and hot winds."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
If and when the number is validated by international officials, Floridia's 124-degree peak would become "possibly the highest temperature ever recorded in Europe," the Times writes. Such frightening heat — punctuated by extreme weather events in both Greece and the Pacific Northwest — serves as an omen of what's to come for Italy and the Mediterranean, as well as a stark reminder of the ongoing threat from climate change.
"Floridia is now the center of the world when it comes to the climate," said the town's mayor, Marco Carianni. However, "when you take the broad view," added agriculture worker Viviana Pappalardo, "Europe is dying." Read more at The New York Times.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
What to know before turning to AI for financial advice
the explainer It can help you crunch the numbers — but it might also pocket your data
-
Book reviews: 'The Headache: The Science of a Most Confounding Affliction—and a Search for Relief' and 'Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run'
Feature The search for a headache cure and revisiting Springsteen's 'Born to Run' album on its 50th anniversary
-
Keith McNally' 6 favorite books that have ambitious characters
Feature The London-born restaurateur recommends works by Leo Tolstoy, John le Carré, and more
-
Israeli double strike on Gaza hospital kills 20
Speed Read The dead include five journalists who worked for The Associated Press, Reuters and Al Jazeera
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American cities
Under the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
Kyiv marks independence as Russia downplays peace
Speed Read President Vladimir Putin has no plans to meet with Zelenskyy for peace talks pushed by President Donald Trump
-
Trump halts Gaza visas as Israelis protest war
Speed Read Laura Loomer voiced her concerns over injured Palestinian kids being brought to the US for treatment and a potential 'Islamic invasion'
-
Russia tries Ukraine land grab before Trump summit
Speed Read The incursion may be part of Putin's efforts to boost his bargaining position
-
US, China extend trade war truce for 90 days
Speed Read The triple-digit tariff threat is postponed for another three months
-
Europe counters Putin ahead of Trump summit
Speed Read President Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska this week for Ukraine peace talks
-
Israeli security cabinet OKs Gaza City takeover
Speed Read Netanyahu approved a proposal for Israeli Defense Forces to take over the largest population center in the Gaza Strip