The Italian government on Sunday issued hot weather red alerts for 16 cities, with meteorologists warning that temperatures will hit record highs across southern Europe in the coming days.

Italy's Health Minister Orazio Schillaci, said authorities were keeping a close eye on Rome and urged people to take care.

"Going to the Colosseum when it is 43C (109.4F) is not advisable, especially for an elderly person," he said. Schillaci advised people to stay indoors during the hottest part of the day, between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.

"We need to prepare for a severe heat storm that, day after day, will blanket the whole country,""In some places ancient heat records will be broken." says the Health Minister

He also revealed that Spain, Italy and Greece have been experiencing scorching temperatures for several days, stressing that it had resulted to damaging agriculture and leaving tourists to scurry for shade.

In Spain, forecasters revealed that the country could experience forest fires, noting that it might not be easy to sleep during the night, with temperatures unlikely to fall below 25C (77F) across the country.

In the same vein, on the Spanish island of La Parma, at least 4,000 people had to be evacuated as a result of forest fire that burned out of control.