'The water wasn't there': Shrinking of Italy's Lake Garda shocks tourists

euronews.com:

Tourists flocking to Italy's largest lake ahead of the country's long summer weekend have found a vastly different landscape than in past years.

Lake Garda in northern Italy has shrunk to nearly its lowest level ever recorded, revealing swathes of underwater rocks and warming the water to temperatures seen in the Caribbean. 

“We came last year, we liked it, and we came back this year,” said tourist Beatrice Masi, as she sat on the sun-bleached rock, which now extended far beyond the normal shoreline.

“We found the landscape had changed a lot," she continued. "We were a bit shocked when we arrived because we had our usual walk around, and the water wasn’t there.”

Northern Italy is currently experiencing a historic drought linked to climate change, with a near absence of rainfall and snowmelt, besides soaring temperatures. 

Vital rivers like the Po, running through Italy's agricultural and industrial heartland, have all but dried up in the extreme conditions, significantly denting food production.

Italy is not alone in Europe, which experts warn is suffering its worst drought in 500 years. 

Many European countries, including Spain, Germany, Portugal, France, the Netherlands and the UK, are enduring unprecedented droughts this summer, hurting farmers and prompting authorities to adopt emergency measures.

The drought is predicted to worsen in Europe, potentially reaching 47% of the continent. 

Parched conditions in the Po, Italy's longest river, has already caused billions of euros in losses to farmers in the region, which produces 40% of Italy's food. 

Authorities have tried to compensate for the lack of rain by allowing more water from Lake Garda to flow into local rivers. However, last month they reduced the amount to protect the