Carol’s and Roger’s bags were packed, and they prepared to leave for Pienza, one thing was on their mind…all the stories they had read about surge after surge of extreme hot weather across Europe.
On the day of their departure, the New York Times published a map along with a story about how extreme heat has plagued Europe all summer
They had read the weather reports for Tuscany and were warned about what to expect when they arrived.
Despite this, they weren’t prepared for was what they found when they arrived at the airport in Rome.
They hopped in their rental car and headed north to Pienza. Roger looked at the dashboard and noticed the outside temperature read 44°C…
…that’s 🔥111°F🔥.
When they arrived in Pienza, Carol and Roger found many things the same. The Piazza Duomo was as pretty as ever.
Carol’s friends were still there for morning coffee….
We noticed the tourists all got out of the sun to take their photos.
Miraculously, the flowers on our terrace had managed to survive the heat…but only because a friend came to water three times a week.
Gas prices show the effects of world events. The price shown on the sign is per liter…the equivalent of $8.40 per gallon.
Carol and Roger did catch a short break. Just as they arrived in Pienza, the sky filled with with thunderheads.
Soon, the thunderheads turned into a drenching rain…with lightning that lasted for hours.
When the rain let up, Roger went to move the car. The temperature that had been 44° C now read 24° C…a drop from 111 °F to 75 °F.
The relief proved temporary, however. By the following morning, temperatures were right back up to the new “normal”… with a forecast high of 102°F.
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