ATHENS — Just when you thought it was safe to climb up the Acropolis to take a selfie, the likelihood is growing that the ancient site could be closed off to tourists during what are normally the busiest times to visit: midday to early evening. Greece is not only grappling with the same searing temperatures that are gripping Italy and other holiday hotspots across southern Europe, but is also battling major wildfires on the perimeter of the capital. 

On Tuesday fires burning in the direction of the Athens-Corinth highway led authorities to close it down, temporarily cutting off Athens from the famed Peloponnese peninsula. By Wednesday the highway had reopened, but firefighters were still battling a blaze at Loutraki, a spa town in the Corinthia region. 

Days of triple-digit temperatures followed by the first strong meltemi, or north winds, of the summer season have in recent days fanned flames in the Attica region, of which Athens is the largest city. At one point Greece’s new minister of climate crisis and civil protection, Vassilis Kikilias, said authorities had tracked 81 separate blazes. 

Over the weekend beachgoers at Anavyssos, south of the capital, had to evacuate as a precautionary measure, leading to scenes of panic and long traffic jams on the sole coastal road to Athens. 

The good news is that thousands of people evacuated from those coastal areas returned to their homes Tuesday when the worst of a wildfire in the area finally receded. Yet on the same day authorities ordered residents of several communities in Western Attica to evacuate as firefighters squared off with raging fires there. Damage to property in and around Mandra, where fires were still burning on Wednesday, is extensive and evacuations continued. 

In Italy, officials warned residents and tourists to stay indoors during the hottest hours of the day and civil protection workers monitored crowds for people in distress from the heat in central Rome. 

In Greece, one of the reasons the Acropolis has been subject to afternoon closures is because the rocky hill, home of the Parthenon, offers no shade. Greek authorities have also introduced changes in working hours and some public-facing government offices had shortened hours to help workers cope with the heat. 

People eagerly visiting hotspots like Rome and Athens are often ill-prepared for just how scorching the unusually hot Mediterranean sun can get during a heat spell like the current one. Tourists in the Italian capital told Reuters they would think twice about booking a trip there again in July as they struggled to drink enough water, stay cool, and find air-conditioned spots to take refuge from the searing heat.  

Spain has also faced higher than normal summer temperatures, which explains why vacation demand is booming in coastal destinations like Galicia in the north of the country. Spanish islands are also popular, but not all spared the ravages of this summer’s freakish heat. A weekend fire at La Palma in the Canary Islands (which are named because of an old breed of dog, not actual canaries) led to thousands of evacuations. 

There will be no immediate relief for many Europeans, because this latest heatwave in Europe is expected to last for several more days at least. The UN weather agency said that temperatures in Europe, amplified by climate change, could break the 119.8 degree Fahrenheit record set in Sicily two years ago. Health authorities in Cyprus blamed one death and several cases of heatstroke on temperatures surpassing 110 degrees.

The Middle East has not spared the ravages of the hot summer of 2023. High temperatures in Israel have sent residents scrambling for relief from the heat at the shore and at the country’s many national parks. In Syria,  wildfires were burning out of control in vast sections of the countryside Tuesday as temperatures reached 104 degrees, which is higher than normal for this time of year. Fires in the region of Homs and Hama were jeopardizing Syria’s wheat crop, which has already been much reduced by years of civil war and possibly by climate change as well.

As for the Athens-bound traveler, take heed: the forecast calls for temperatures as high as 111 in parts of central and southern Greece before the weekend. Famous spots like the Acropolis will still be open in the morning and early evening hours, but closures in the middle part of the day to help beat the heat are now the overheated new normal.