Heat wave in Europe could be poised to set a new temperature record in Italy

Fires seared the Greek seaside Monday, forcing tourists to evacuate at least six different towns. The area, long a vacation oasis, has been reduced to ashes and the evacuation zone was still widening on Tuesday. 

In Italy, forecasters warned temperatures could soar to 120 degrees on Tuesday in Sicily or Sardinia. If it does, it will shatter the all-time heat record for Europe, which was set in Italy just two years ago. 

• Italians told to brace for "most intense heat wave" ever

Authorities set up 28 "heat points" around Rome to help keep tourists and others hydrated and offer respite, as visitors have been collapsing under the stifling sun. The ancient city struck a new local record-high temperature on Tuesday. While there was some disagreement over the exact high-point, all agreed that it had tipped over the previous record of 106 degrees.

The heat wave currently stifling southern Europe is called Charon, after the Greek deity who ferried souls across the River Styx and into the underworld. 

A nun sat outside St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, licking an ice pop as she and others sought any antidote available to the hellish heat.

We met tourist Hellen Kelly from Australia, where it's currently the middle of the winter. As she dunked her hat in one of Rome's many fountains, she said the only balm for her sweaty body and tired soul was "water — beautiful, cool, holy water!" 

Humans aren't the only victims of the extreme heat and climate change, of course. A new study has found that Italy's famed prosecco sparkling wine could be "wiped out" due to soil degradation and drought. 

In the animal kingdom, meanwhile, gorillas got to munch some icy treats at the Berlin Zoo after Germany issued heat warnings covering nearly half the country in recent days — evidence that even Northern Europe isn't immune to the blistering temperatures that the United Nations weather service has warned will likely continue into August. 

In:
• Climate Change
• Italy
• Heat Wave
• European Union

Chris Livesay

Chris Livesay is a CBS News foreign correspondent based in Rome.

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