Rome wasn’t built in a day and now, at a stately 2,778 years old, the Eternal City has placed high on a recent survey from Prime Casino, topping the list, with a score of 8.68, as the world’s oldest city under threat from climate change.
Not far behind is Catania, which is just a little younger at 2,754 years old, and is on the eastern coast of Sicily at the foot of Mount Etna - a volcano which has never been known for its calming presence. With a score of 8.22 on the vanishing city scale - which takes into account dangers like rising sea levels, heatwaves and coastal erosion - it looks like Catania too could eventually end up under water.
And when it comes to water of course there’s Venice, that dazzling diva of decay, and also the city with the highest number of sacred and religious sites - 46 per 100,000 people. Practically floating on faith, Venice comes out top of the must-see-before-it-sinks list.
Italy’s magnificent ancient cities may have survived empires, eruptions, and invasions, but can they handle the heat? Better hurry up and book that Italian trip you’ve been dreaming of now, while they still have their heads above water.
Pamela McCourt Francescone
Executive Editor
