words by Pierangela Zandanel
The severe cold weather currently gripping Europe has now spread to Italy. Freezing temperatures affecting the North of the peninsula began moving south on Monday, with snow now falling in Central Italy and the island of Sardinia too.
Authorities say that snow could fall on the nation's capital by Friday, while Florence and Emilia Romagna, are predicted to see snow flurries by Tuesday afternoon.
Trains and planes in Turin and Milan were delayed or cancelled, 100 flights were grounded at Bologna's Guglielmo Marconi airport, and heavy snowfall that caused disruption on the highways in Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia Romagna, central Tuscany and Umbria has the weather reached sub-zero temperatures.
Transportation authorities are requiring travellers to carry snow chains on board if their vehicles are not equipped with snow tires. This inclement weather has already caused school shut-downs and stopped lorries from crossing the France-Italy boarders.
On the Alps, temperatures dipped to -21 Celsius degrees on the Mount Blanc, -27 on Mount Rosa and -12 in the ski resort town of Cortina. Many Italian Serie A and B soccer matches are at risk and might be cancelled.
