With people being advised to stay indoors during the hottest hours of the day, tourists and locals in many towns and cities in southern Europe are opting to party at night, with sunset beach parties and late-night meals.
The heatwave has hit Italy, Greece and Spain during the peak summer tourist season, breaking records and bringing warnings about increased health risks.
Greg Perry, 68, who runs a bed and breakfast and olive oil business with his wife, Sandra, in the town of Cingoli in the rolling countryside of the Marche region of eastern Italy, said people were heeding advice from the health ministry to avoid going outdoors between 11am and 6pm.
“Yesterday it was 42°C,” he told i on Thursday morning, adding that the temperature was already creeping above 35°C during the phone call.
“Italians are sort of used to extreme temperatures, when it’s lunchtime they close the shutters and don’t come out until late afternoon. You don’t see anybody.”
However, Mr Perry, from Nottingham, said there is a thriving nightlife in Cingoli, with street markets, restaurants, bars and concerts open until late. “But then again, things generally start later here,” he added.
The couple, who have lived in Italy for nearly two decades, have noticed the weather gradually getting hotter in the summer months.
“But it’s a worldwide thing isn’t it? Because of climate change,” Mr Perry said. “We have a nice April, May and June, but July is the hottest month in Italy.
“In previous years it’s gone up to 35°C or 36°C and occasionally it gets up to 40°C; this year it [the extreme heat] has been a little bit more persistent.”
Elsewhere in Italy, only a few beachgoers have braved the heat in Alghero, Sardinia, which saw temperatures above 45°C at the start of this week. Market squares in Palermo, Sicily, were also quiet as people avoided the scorching daytime sun.
The heatwave in Italy has led to a sharp rise in the number of medical emergencies in Rome, with a 20 per cent increase in calls for help on Wednesday in the Lazio region of the capital city compared to the same day last year. Health officials said many calls were from those seeking help for respiratory and heart problems.
Rome saw a new record high temperature of 41.8°C on Tuesday, beating the previous record of 40.7°C set in June last year.
Forecasters say the temperatures should ease in the coming days, with 19 cities placed on high heat alert on Thursday and Friday, compared to 27 on Wednesday.
In Spain, people have been making the most of the cooler evenings, with locals and tourists in Barcelona playing volleyball and dancing at the beach after sunset.
Forecasters say temperatures could drop on Thursday and Friday with authorities downgrading orange weather alerts – signifying significant risk of extreme temperatures – to yellow in some regions, meaning temperatures are expected to peak at 36°C to 37°C.
In Athens, empty chairs line deserted streets as restaurants and cafes see fewer visitors in daylight hours. Temperatures were forecast to reach above 40°C on Thursday in some areas of Greece, and rising further to a maximum of 44°C on Friday.
The Acropolis, the most popular tourist attraction in Greece, was again closing four hours earlier than usual as staff protested against working in the blistering conditions.
The ancient site, which usually closes at 8pm, will be open to visitors from 8am until 4pm from Thursday to Sunday.
Extreme heat has ignited massive wildfires across Greece that have razed swathes of forest and dozens of homes.
While the fires were largely contained on Thursday, a new heatwave looms this week that could bring more tinderbox conditions across the country.