The holiday apartment in Alicante, Spain, has been a fixture of Lori Zaino’s in-laws’ family since her husband’s grandparents purchased it in the 1970s. As a baby, it’s where her husband took his first steps; he and Zaino have spent their summer holidays there almost every year for the last 16 years – now with a toddler in tow. Their families may look different each time they go, but each visit, year after year, has delivered everything they wanted from a Mediterranean summer holiday: sun, sand and plenty of beach time.
Until this year. A heat wave scorched southern Europe during their mid-July holiday, with temperatures of 46C and 47C in cities including Madrid, Seville and Rome. In Alicante, temperatures hit 39C, though the humidity made it feel hotter, Zaino says. A red-alert weather warning was issued. Palm trees toppled from water loss.
Living in Madrid for 16 years, Zaino is used to heat. “We live in certain ways, where you close the shutters midday, you stay inside and you take a siesta. But this summer was like nothing I’ve ever experienced,” Zaino said. “You can’t sleep at night. Midday, it’s unbearable – you can’t be outside. So until 16:00 or 17:00, you can’t leave the house.
