The UK Foreign Office has issued a “severe” warning to holidaymakers and tourists flying out to Italy. Italy is facing “severe” weather conditions as flood warnings and alerts are extended, and more tourist destinations are impacted by the downturn in weather.
European Union holidaymakers have been slapped with a travel warning over Tuscany, where unprecedented rainfall is sparking disruption. The weather warning now includes Tuscany following severe flooding in the Emilia Romagna region last week.
“Severe weather and flooding are currently affecting many areas of Italy, particularly Emilia Romagna and Tuscany,” the Foreign Office said. “Rail services and roads may be affected. Check with your tour operator accommodation before you travel and follow the instructions of local authorities.”
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“If you choose to travel, research your destinations and get appropriate travel insurance,” it warned. “Insurance should cover your itinerary, planned activity and expenses in an emergency.” A spokesperson for the firefighters, Luca Cari, called the situation “critical”.
The flooding started after a local river broke its banks in Montecatini Val di Cecina in central Tuscany. Heavy rain also left 700 homes without electricity and caused local roads to close, Tuscany’s President Eugenio Giani wrote in a Facebook post on Monday night.
Giani added that the area had not seen such intense bad weather since 1928. Nicola Ciannelli, commander of the local fire service, told Corriere della Sera a “very violent” 2.5-metre flood wave had hit the house. Other people in the area reportedly saved themselves by also climbing to higher floors of their homes or into trees.
Multiple regions of Italy have been under an alert for heavy rain, but the most serious has been in the Tuscany region – particularly Livorno and Pisa provinces. The Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy was also hit by floods last week, with more than 1,000 people forced to evacuate.
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