Rome's famous nasoni provide free, continuously flowing drinking water. Carry a reusable bottle—you'll use it far more often than you expect during a Roman summer.
How to survive Italy's 2026 heat dome: An insider's guide
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After a full week of extreme temperatures, red alerts and researching every official warning, we've put together the practical guide we wish every visitor had before arriving in Italy. From free drinking fountains and cool churches to museum closures, heat alerts and local tricks, here's how to enjoy Italy safely when the mercury refuses to budge.
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I have been through many red weather alerts in ten years in Italy. This one is different. Not because the numbers are necessarily higher everywhere, but because it is relentless in a way I cannot recall in the past decade, and we are only in June. The summer is not yet in full swing.
I am also writing with a specific kind of domestic urgency. I have an elderly person in my household, currently in bed with a fracture, which means keeping our living space cool and airy is something I am managing around the clock. It has given me a different perspective on the standard advice, because this time I am actually applying it, every day, for someone who cannot manage the heat alone.
If you are a traveller wondering whether your Italy trip is still a reasonable idea: this is the guide I would want to have read before arriving. Probably not the tourist board version more or a resident version.
Even weddings don't stop for the heat. Romans simply adapt their pace, seeking shade wherever possible and avoiding long walks during the hottest hours of the day.
Can I still visit Italy during the heatwave?
Yes, you'll still enjoy Italy. You just need to do it differently. Millions of people are travelling safely through Italy right now. The heat is serious but it is manageable if you change the way you sightsee. The old assumptions about Italian summer tourism no longer hold: the idea that you can power through eight hours of outdoor walking, eat lunch at noon, and catch monuments at 3pm is simply not compatible with current conditions. But the country is open, and absolutely worth visiting.
The travellers who will struggle are really the ones who treat this like an ordinary summer, which it isnt, and technically we arent even in 'summer' yet. The ones who do well are the ones who treat this seriously.
What is Bollino Rosso, and what does it mean for tourists?
The Bollino Rosso, or Level 3 Red Alert, is Italy's highest heat warning, issued by the Ministry of Health. This is a public health declaration that conditions pose a health risk to the entire population, and in particular the elderly or vulnerable. When 18 major cities hold this status simultaneously, as they do now in June 2026, the healthcare system, transport infrastructure, and built environment are all under strain at once.
The 18 cities currently under Level 3 Red Alert are: Rome, Milan, Florence, Venice, Turin, Bologna, Genoa, Bari, Ancona, Bolzano, Brescia, Frosinone, Latina, Perugia, Pescara, Rieti, Verona, and Viterbo.
Worth noting: Naples is not on this specific list, despite a heat-related fatality being reported there in June. The Bollino Rosso is a precise designation, not a general Italy-wide warning. But you would be unwise to treat that distinction as meaningful reassurance. Heat is heat.
Why is it hotter than my weather app says?
The temperature on your app is recorded in the shade away from buildings and thats in any likelyhood not be where you will be standing.
Plants aren't just decorative. Shade from vines, trees and climbing plants can lower the perceived temperature dramatically, something Italians have understood for centuries.
In cities like Rome and Florence, the so-called Urban Heat Island effect creates a measurable additional layer of heat in the historic centre. Dark asphalt and dense stone absorb solar radiation throughout the day and release it slowly overnight. In Rome's neighbourhoods like Prati, Trastevere, and Esquilino, the ambient temperature can be 3.5 to 4 degrees Celsius (about 40 F) higher than the official reading. On the actual pavement and stone surfaces where you are walking, the thermal reality can be up to 8 degrees higher than your app suggests. I dare you to take off your sandal and give the pavement a feel.
This also explains Super Tropical Nights, where temperatures remain above 25 degrees through the night, preventing the body from recovering during sleep. After several consecutive nights of this, the cumulative effect on your health and judgment becomes significant. I've certainly noticed it. After a week of tropical nights, I found myself sleeping less deeply and getting far less done during the day than I normally would. One thing that has genuinely helped me is making time to wind down before bed. A lukewarm chamomile-melatonin infusion tea has become part of my evening routine. If you know you're sensitive to hot nights, it might be worth picking up a box from an Italian supermarket or pharmacy during your stay.
Things Italians do that tourists don't
Understanding why Italians behave the way they do in summer makes their habits available to you. This section is worth reading before anything else.
They close the shutters. This is not decorative tradition. Shutters kept closed during the day block solar radiation from heating the interior. A room with closed shutters can be 5 to 8 degrees cooler than one with open windows. This is the oldest, most effective building management system in the Mediterranean, and it still works.
They eat late. Lunch at 1.30pm or 2pm, dinner at 8.30pm or later. The midday heat is not negotiated with; it is avoided. If you are eating at noon and then trying to walk to a monument, you have already made two mistakes besides eating outdoors.
They cross to the shady side of the street. This sounds minor. It is not. In narrow Italian streets, one side can be in direct sun and the other in deep shade. Italians cross without thinking about it. Tourists do not notice. Start noticing.
They do not rush. Moving slowly generates less internal heat. This is structural, not laziness. One thing you'll notice: Italians rarely seem flustered by the heat like I am. That's not because they don't feel it; it's because they've learned to work with it rather than fight it. I admit, I do still fight it.
They use churches as cooling stations. Churches in Italy are generally free, open during daylight hours, and significantly cooler than the street. Italians slip in, sit for ten minutes, and leave. You do not need to be religious. You need to be practical.
They refill constantly but not like you. Italians do not carry around water like a tourist, they stop at a bar and drink a glass of water, it is considered more than normal to ask for a glass of water. My personal tip is to freeze a small bottle of water before you go out for the day, just ask your hotel if you dont have a freezer. Use it as a cooler in your bag or drink it drop by drop to keep really cool.
Mostly Italians will stay indoors between noon and 5pm. They understand that the body cannot effectively regulate temperature above a certain threshold, and that ignoring this has consequences which compound over days. The Italian afternoon siesta is actually not a quaint cultural holdover. It is a rational response to a climate that makes afternoon activity dangerous for several months of the year.
Water features don't cool entire cities, but they create welcome pockets of relief. Even a short stop beside moving water feels noticeably cooler than standing on sun-baked stone.
The Siesta Strategy: restructuring your day
The most effective single change you can make is to abandon the standard tourist schedule and adopt a split day.
Before 10am: All major outdoor sightseeing. Arrive at monuments when they open. The light is also better for photography. Book the early entry slot where it exists.
10am to noon: Transition to shaded or indoor activities. Museum interiors, churches, covered market halls, gallery spaces.
Noon to 6pm: Return to your accommodation. This is not a waste of time. It is the difference between a pleasant trip and a medical incident. Sleep, read, eat a proper lunch with the shutters closed.
After 6pm: Re-emerge. The evening in Italian cities in summer is genuinely beautiful. Streets come alive. Temperatures remain warm but moving air changes everything. This is also when Italians themselves appear.
How much water should I drink? And can I drink from the fountains?
Two to three litres per day minimum. More if you are walking. Significantly more if you are walking in direct sun. The rule of thumb: if you feel thirsty, you are already mildly dehydrated. Drink all the time, not just when you are thirsty. Add electrolytes if you are sweating heavily for extended periods. Plain water alone will not replace the sodium and minerals you are losing. These sachets (are available at any Italian pharmacy (farmacia) without prescription and are inexpensive. They are worth carrying. You can find them under the brand names : Polase, Supradyn Magnesio e Potassio, Massigen and MG.K Vis. Signs of dehydration to watch for: dark urine, headache, dizziness, dry mouth, fatigue that seems disproportionate to the activity.
The city fountains: yes, they are safe to drink from. This is a question people search constantly and never quite find a direct answer to. Rome's Nasoni, the curved-spout drinking fountains distributed throughout the city, supply cold, potable municipal water. Milan's equivalent, the Vedovelle, does the same. The water is consistently good and consistently cold.
Three practical uses beyond drinking: wet the back of your neck, your face, and the inside of your wrists with the cold water. These points lower your core temperature noticeably. Rinsing your feet resets the body's thermal sensors more effectively than almost anything else, which sounds improbable until you try it in 38-degree heat on a Roman pavement.
When the temperature climbs above 35°C, even locals instinctively slow down. The quickest route isn't always the smartest one—the shady side of the street usually wins.
Where can I cool down for free?
This is the question most travel articles fail to answer with any specificity.
Churches. Every city, every neighbourhood, almost every hour of the day. Free, quiet, and significantly cooler than the street. Generally churches of which there are a lot in Italy offer a genuinely cool interior even on the worst days.
Supermarkets. Underrated. Large supermarkets in Italian city centres are heavily air-conditioned. Nobody will notice you browsing for fifteen minutes. Buy a cold drink or a bottle of water to make it feel intentional, which it is.
Shopping centres (centri commerciali). Not glamorous, but effective and I have used it to escape the heat more than once in Rome, however it is quite far out of the city centre (Euroma2). You would think every major Italian city should haev at least one accessible by metro or tram, unfortunately this is not always the case. If you do find one, the air conditioning will be industrial and the food courts are somewhat reasonable. This is not a suggestion for the culturally aspirational traveller.
Libraries and civic centres. Milan has designated 116 Spazi Freschi, cool public spaces including libraries and civic centres, mapped by the city as official refuges. Rome operates its own network. These spaces are intended specifically as cooling stations and there is no entry requirement beyond walking through the door.
One of my favourites and not because I am morbid. Catacombs and church crypts. Rome's Appian Way catacombs maintain a constant underground temperature well below street level regardless of the external heat. They are also genuinely interesting, which makes this the rare case where practical necessity and cultural tourism align completely.
Catacombs of St. Callixtus (Catacombe di San Callisto) - Via Appia Antica 110, 00179 Rome RM, Italy - Tel. +39 06 5130151 - Website: https://www.catacombesancallisto.it/en/
Museums with functioning air conditioning. Venice has opened its climate-controlled museums as public cooling stations during the alert period. Rome's Capitoline Museums, the Vatican Museums, and the Borghese Gallery are all well cooled. However you need to check the Uffizi situation below before planning a Florence afternoon.
Metro stations and trains? Sometimes but absolutely not in Rome. In other cities some trains are air-conditioned, others aren't, and many stations are hot. If you're looking to cool off, a quiet café, pharmacy or supermarket is often a better bet.
Does every hotel have air conditioning in Italy? What if my Airbnb doesn't?
No. This is an important truth that booking platforms do not always communicate clearly. Italy has an enormous stock of historic buildings, many of which were not designed for air conditioning and have systems retrofitted at various points over the past thirty years with varying degrees of effectiveness. A hotel can honestly list "air conditioning" and deliver a single wall unit that struggles to cool a room in 38-degree heat. This happens.
Before booking, ask specifically: is there air conditioning in every room, and what is the approximate cooling capacity? For Airbnb and holiday rentals, ask the host directly what cooling is available. A portable fan in a studio apartment in Rome in June is not air conditioning. It is a portable fan.
If you arrive and the cooling is inadequate:
Close every shutter and curtain before leaving in the morning. The room will be meaningfully cooler when you return.
Buy a ventilator or two, they arent expensive. Go to Unieuro, Mediaworld or even a reasonably sized supermarket.
Set any AC unit to 25 to 27 degrees, not lower. Running it at maximum in extreme external heat risks tripping the building's circuit on an already-strained grid.
Use wet towels near open windows at night and if possible plants in wet terracotta pots at the windowns and at balcony doors.
Sleep with your feet uncovered. Your feet and ankles are among the most effective natural cooling points on the body.
If you genuinely cannot sleep due to heat, the larger hotels will sometimes offer room transfers or temporary upgrades. Ask at the front desk rather than suffering in silence.
Is it safe to hike?
It depends on where and when. A blanket yes or no is not useful here.
Cinque Terre: The main coastal path is partially open but extreme caution is advised, personally I wouldn't do it unless the temperature drops to 26-27 Centigrade. The trails are exposed, steep, and largely without shade on the cliff sections. If you do anyway, start before 7am or do not start at all during a Red Alert period. Carry at least two litres per person, which is of course miserable but necessary. The villages themselves are worth visiting; the serious ridge hiking above them is really not advisable in these conditions.
The Dolomites: Generally safer than the south during a heat event, as altitude moderates temperature significantly. Hiking above 1,500 metres in the early morning is reasonable. Be aware that afternoon thunderstorms are more frequent during heat dome conditions, and above the treeline these carry real lightning risk. Check the morning forecast specifically. Avoid the vineyards, this altitude is still too hot for hiking.
Etna: Really? Yes, there are mad dogs and Englishmen. Obviously inadvisable during a Red Alert. The approach terrain is exposed, dark, and heat-absorbing. Altitude does not compensate. this is something you should do in the winter months. Vesuvius is a no go area this time of year.
Amalfi Coast: I would absolutely avoid the Path of the Gods (Sentiero degli Dei) between Agerola and Nocelle right now in peak heat and over the summer months. If you do want to walk it, this is a strict 6am proposition.
Tuscany: Rolling countryside walks are manageable in the early morning but only before 9.30am. Vineyard and olive grove paths do not offer much protection from the heat and above all avoid the open hilltop routes between noon and 6pm.
The general rule for any hiking in these conditions: if you cannot complete the route by 10am, reschedule or choose something shorter. Heat exhaustion on a remote trail is a serious situation with limited rescue options.
Is it safe to go to the beach?
Yes, but the beach in extreme heat comes with specific hazards that people underestimate.
The sand: Italian beach sand in direct sun reaches temperatures that cause burns within seconds of unprotected contact. Wear sandals or water shoes at all times. Never allow small children to walk on dry sand at midday barefoot.
The umbrella: On private beaches (stabilimenti balneari), umbrella and sunlounger rental is standard and usually reasonable. On free public beaches, you bring your own. Either way, an umbrella is not optional during a Red Alert.
Can you get sunstroke in the sea? Yes. People underestimate this because the water is cool. But if you are swimming with your head above water in full sun, you are in direct solar radiation with no shade. Wear a rash vest or a hat, take regular breaks under your umbrella, and do not swim for extended periods without rest.
Swimming alone: Avoid it. Italian beaches are staffed with lifeguards (bagnini) during opening hours, but private beach clubs often close between 1pm and 4pm. On a quiet stretch of coast, the combination of heat exhaustion and deep water carries real risk. Swim when other people are present.
Children at the beach. Kids can overheat and not even notice it. Water and pale sand reflect UV rays, so sunscreen should be reapplied regularly at least every two hours and after swimming or towel drying. Encourage frequent drinks, even if children don't ask for them, and try to arrive early in the morning or later in the afternoon, avoiding the hottest hours altogether. If you're visiting one of Italy's many managed beach clubs (stabilimenti balneari), you'll usually find umbrellas, refreshments, toilets and somewhere to cool down between swims.
Playing in water doesn't eliminate the risk of overheating. Children still need regular drinks, sunscreen and breaks in the shade.
Rental cars: the forgotten hazard
A car parked in direct Italian sun in summer becomes a genuine danger within twenty minutes. People know this in theory and still leave things in cars that should not be left there, like I did when I left my new Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Blush Stick in the glove compartment.
Never leave in a parked car: medication of any kind (heat degrades most pharmaceuticals rapidly, and some become dangerous above certain temperatures), passports and documents (the laminate warps), bottled water that has been sitting in a hot car and is then consumed (plastics leach compounds into the water above certain temperature thresholds) and obviously no children and pets, I dont feel I should be adding that but unfortunately it still happens. Keep a folding sunshade in the windscreen whenever you park. It costs approximately five euros and works well.
Carry at least one litre of water per person in the car at all times, in addition to whatever you are currently drinking. If you break down and wait for roadside assistance on an exposed road, that water matters.
Travelling with children
Italy is genuinely child-friendly in ways that work in your favour during a heatwave: gelato is everywhere, beaches have shallow areas, restaurants accommodate almost any request, and Italians adore children in a way that is neither performative nor exhausting. But the heat creates specific complications worth planning around.
Strollers and prams: An infant in a stroller at pavement level is significantly hotter than you are. Pram temperatures at ground level can be 10 degrees or more above the ambient reading. Use a parasol attachment, choose a pram with good air circulation, and avoid using it at all during midday hours.
Baby formula: Heat degrades prepared formula quickly. Prepare only what you need immediately and carry a compact cool bag with an ice pack if your baby uses formula.
Car seats: Check the plastic and metal components before placing a child in a car seat that has been in a parked hot car. Metal parts can cause contact burns within seconds. Cover the seat with a light cloth when the car is parked.
Hydration for children: Children dehydrate faster than adults and are less reliable about communicating thirst. Offer water every 20 to 30 minutes regardless of whether they ask for it. Signs of heat stress include unusual irritability, absence of tears when crying, and very dark urine.
Travelling with pets
Italy has become significantly more dog-friendly over the past decade, and many tourists now travel with their animals. This is wonderful in moderate weather. During a heat alert, it requires careful management.
Dogs cannot sweat through their skin and regulate temperature primarily through panting. In extreme heat, this system quickly becomes insufficient. Pavement temperatures that cause discomfort for your feet in sandals can cause severe paw burns on a dog within seconds. Test the pavement with your own barefeet before you allow your dog to walk there. Walk dogs only before 8am and after 8pm. This is not excessive caution. The Lega Nazionale per la Difesa del Cane recommends this explicitly during heat alerts and if you dont you will be getting a lot of angry looks.
Never leave a dog in a parked car, even with windows open. Italian law permits passers-by to break car windows to free animals in distress. They do.
Some Italian beaches allow dogs in designated areas, typically at the edges of the beach, and often only in the early morning or after 6pm. Check the specific beach rules before arriving. Many Italian bars and restaurants with outdoor seating will provide a bowl of water for dogs without being asked. It is worth asking regardless.
Museum closures: what to know and what you're entitled to
Italy's historic sites were frequently built as 19th-century palaces or medieval structures, many with air conditioning systems retrofitted decades later and not always equal to conditions like these.
Uffizi Galleries, Florence: Ticket sales were suspended through June 28, 2026, after the central air conditioning failed completely. The cooling water pumps overheated under the extreme ambient temperature. This is an extraordinary failure in one of Italy's most visited institutions, and it gives you a reasonable sense of the pressure on infrastructure at the moment.
Palermo: Court hearings have been suspended. Not a tourist issue directly, but it signals the level at which this heat is disrupting normal urban function.
Your rights: If a monument or museum closes due to infrastructure failure, the larger institutions are providing full refunds or rebooking vouchers. Do not show up at the gate and hope. Check the official website of your specific sites every morning before leaving your accommodation. This takes ten seconds and can save an hour's journey in 38-degree heat.
Transport during the heat dome
Heat affects transport in ways worth understanding without needing the technical detail.
Trains: High ambient temperatures cause rail track distortions and affect overhead power lines. Speed limits are applied as precaution. Expect some delays, particularly on routes through the Po Valley and Tuscany. The delay rarely exceeds 30 minutes for regional services, but factor this into connections.
City buses: Electric bus batteries deplete faster when air conditioning is running at full capacity. Some routes experience gaps in frequency. In Rome, the Atac real-time app gives live vehicle positions. Use it before waiting at a stop in direct sun.
Power cuts: Extreme heat can occasionally cause localised power cuts affecting lifts, air conditioning, and some transport infrastructure. This is not widespread, but it happens. If you are in a high-rise hotel without a functioning lift, consider the implications before choosing an upper floor room.
Practical approach: Use air-conditioned taxis or metro lines as your primary transport during midday. Treat them as cooling as much as movement.
Italy has activated the Codice Calore (Heat Code) as part of the Piano Caldo 2026, creating a prioritised medical pathway in emergency rooms specifically for heatstroke. This is a formal public health structure, not an improvised response.
118: Serious medical emergencies. Heatstroke, fainting, loss of consciousness. Call without hesitation.
116117: 24-hour non-emergency health advice. If you are worried about symptoms but not in an acute crisis, call this first. An English-speaking service is available.
1500: Ministry of Health public utility line for general alerts and guidance.
One piece of advice from first-hand observation: avoid the emergency room unless you have a genuine emergency. During a heat alert, Italian emergency rooms are under extraordinary pressure. They are crowded, not always adequately cooled, and the wait times are long. Italy's ageing population, many of whom live in homes without adequate cooling systems, end up in emergency rooms during these events because they have nowhere else to go that is safe. I have seen this in Liguria, which skews significantly older than the national average. That system is being used to its capacity.
Ministero della Salute (Ministry of Health) - Viale Giorgio Ribotta, 5, 00144 Roma RM, Italy - Tel. +39 06 5994 1 - Website: https://www.salute.gov.it/
Call 116117 first if you have any doubt about whether your situation requires the emergency room. They will tell you honestly.
What to pack
Clothing: Light-coloured linen or cotton only. Synthetics trap heat. Dark colours absorb solar radiation. A loose, long-sleeved linen shirt in direct sun is more effective than a sleeveless top.
Hat: Wide-brimmed, not a cap. A cap leaves your ears, neck, and much of your face unshaded.
Reusable water bottle: Wide enough to accept ice cubes. Freeze it overnight if your accommodation has a freezer.
Electrolyte sachets: Available at any Italian pharmacy. Bring several from home to save the search.
Portable fan: A small battery-powered or USB fan weighs almost nothing and makes a meaningful difference in still, humid air.
Cooling spray: A small spray bottle of water for the face and neck. Refill from any Nasoni.
Sunscreen SPF 50: Higher than you probably use at home. Reapply every 90 minutes.
Folding sunshade for the car windscreen if you are renting.
Is it still worth travelling to Italy in a heatwave?
Honestly, if you have a choice of when to visit Italy, visit in April, May, September, or October. You will see the same country at a fraction of the physical cost, without reorganising your entire day around the sun. Italians themselves will be out and about rather than hiding. The queues will be shorter. This is not a controversial opinion. It is what Italians themselves will tell you and me.
If you are already booked for June, July, or August: you will be fine. Millions of people travel safely every summer, including during heat alerts. The travellers who struggle are the ones who refuse to adapt, who insist on a full day outdoors, who are too proud to rest or duck into a church for ten minutes. Italy in summer has always required a certain respect for the rhythm of the climate. This year, it requires more than usual.
It will be worth it. Adjust your expectations not of Italy, but of how you move through it.
Daily checklist: before you leave the room
Checked the official website of every booked site for today's status
Water bottle filled (frozen overnight if possible)
Elisabeth Jane Bertrand is a writer, publisher and was a digital nomad before anyone had invented the phrase. She founded Dolcevia.com in 2001, making it one of the longest-running independent digital publications focused on Italy, back when most people still thought the internet was mainly for checking the weather. Before launching Dolcevia, she spent more than a decade working in the travel industry and studied Tourism Management and Social Sciences in Brussels. Since then, she has lived and worked across Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and France, spending over ten years based in different parts of Italy. Her writing is shaped by real experience rather than postcard fantasy: the beautiful piazza, the delayed train, the excellent lunch, the leaking pipe, the glorious coastline and the bureaucracy around the corner. Elisabeth writes in both English and Dutch, and alongside publishing also develops digital projects and editorial platforms about travel, culture and how people actually move through Europe today.
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National rail strike in Italy: 6–7 July 2026
Critical
A national rail strike is scheduled in Italy from 21:00 on 6 July to 21:00 on 7 July 2026. The notice concerns the railway sector nationwide and may affect services linked to Mercitalia Shunting & Terminal staff. Delays, cancellations and timetable changes are possible.
Advice: Check your train status before travelling and monitor operator updates. If you must travel, allow extra time and consider alternative transport.
Italy air transport strike on 5 July 2026, 2pm-6pm
Critical
An air transport strike is scheduled across Italy on 5 July 2026, lasting 4 hours from 14:00 to 18:00. The notice names FedEx Corporation staff at Malpensa as the affected category. Flight delays or cancellations are possible during the strike window.
Advice: Check your flight status with your airline before travelling, and allow extra time at the airport. If you are flying with or via Malpensa, monitor updates closely and be ready for changes.
A national rail strike is scheduled in Italy from 03:00 on 9 July to 02:00 on 10 July 2026. It affects the railway sector nationwide and may disrupt services operated by Italo NTV crew and operational staff. Delays, cancellations, and timetable changes are possible across the country.
Advice: Check your train status before travelling and monitor operator updates. Allow extra time and consider flexible tickets or alternative transport if possible.
Last updated: Fri, 26 Jun 2026 21:41:48 +0200Europe/RomeFridaypm3041000Europe/Rome. Information compiled from official Italian sources.
While we strive to keep this information accurate and up to date, Dolcevia cannot accept responsibility for changes made by the original sources or for disruptions caused by third-party operators.
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