With the heatwave expected to bring some of the highest temperatures on record, the health ministry has issued a “red alert” for four cities on Tuesday: Bari, Campobasso, Rieti and Rome.
The warning will apply to another four cities on Wednesday: Frosinone, Latina, Palermo and Perugia.
A further 13 cities including Milan, Florence and Bologna will have a lower-level “amber alert” in place by Wednesday.
Forecasters have described the incoming wave of hot air as an “extreme event with few precedents”, with temperatures set to reach in excess of 45°C in some parts of the south later this week.
Temperatures will peak between “Tuesday and Thursday”, Italian news agency ANSA reported.
The incoming heatwave has led Italy’s civil protection agency to warn of increased risks of wildfires across the country, with several regions already battling devastating blazes in recent weeks, notably the islands of Sardinia and Sicily.
“It is fundamental to avoid any behaviour that could generate fires and to promptly report even small fires,” civil protection agency chief, Fabrizio Curcio, said.
Farming association Coldiretti has warned that the heatwave could destroy crops of fruit and vegetables as well as causing damage to the olive harvest and leading to loss of milk production in cows under pressure from the heat.
Italian authorities have called on people to check on the elderly and vulnerable during spells of particularly hot weather.
