With heat waves becoming increasingly frequent and intense, understanding which areas of the capital suffer the most from the summer heat is not just a curiosity: it is a question of public health. Two analyses, both linked to Legambiente’s national campaign “What’s hot like that”, have photographed Rome’s average summer daytime temperatures with satellites, identifying neighborhood by neighborhood where the heat accumulates the most and where, however, some degree of relief persists.
The first elaboration, signed by the Scientific Office of Legambiente Lazio, covers the decade 2014-2024. A second analysis, conducted as part of the same campaign with RSE as a technical partner, updates the framework to the 2015-2025 period and also adds a focus on energy poverty. The values of the two studies do not coincide exactly (the satellite measurements and the periods analyzed are slightly different), but the overall picture that emerges is consistent: the south-eastern and extreme eastern outskirts of the city, close to the Grande Raccordo Anulare, systematically remain the warmest, while the large parks and coastal pine forests remain the coolest areas.
The complete ranking of the hottest neighborhoods (data 2015-2025)
According to the most recent analysis, which measures the average temperature reached by surfaces – roofs, streets, squares, land – and not that of the perceived air, the ranking from hottest to coolest is as follows:
- Ciampino — 46.54°C
- Mystical House — 46.36°C
- Homo — 46.20°C
- Lucrezia Romana — 46.07°C
- Romanina — 45.89°C
- Gregna — 45.87°C
- Tor Sapienza — 45.73°C
- Appia Antica South — 45.58°C
- Giardinetti-Tor Vergata — 45.54°C
- Torre Angela — 45.48°C
- Virgin Water — 45.38°C
- Santa Palomba — 45.33°C
- Centocelle business center — 45.21°C
- Torre Maura — 45.14°C
- Alexandrian — 45.13°C
- Casilino — 45.05°C
- Appio-Claudio — 44.95°C
- Tor Tre Teste — 44.86°C
- La Rustica — 44.75°C
- Casal Bertone — 44.69°C
- San Basilio — 44.59°C
- Osteria del Curato — 44.56°C
- Settecamini — 44.50°C
- Don Bosco – 44.36°C
- Ostiense — 44.30°C
- Torrespaccata — 44.28°C
- Centocelle — 44.15°C
- Fourth Mile — 44.12°C
- Length — 44.08°C
- Torpignattara — 44.05°C
- Stoned — 43.88°C
- Quadraro — 43.88°C
- Tor Fiscale — 43.75°C
- South Tusculan — 43.66°C
- North Tusculan — 43.53°C
- Tiburtino North — 43.13°C
- Esquiline — 43.13°C
- Garbatella — 43.09°C
- Verano — 43.02°C
- Nomentano — 42.98°C
- Tiburtino South — 42.98°C
- Laurentino — 42.95°C
- Gordians — 42.95°C
- XX September — 42.91°C
- Caelian — 42.83°C
- Tufello — 42.82°C
- Grottaperfetta — 42.82°C
- Testaccio — 42.82°C
- Marconi — 42.74°C
- South Acilia – 42.72°C
- Labarum — ~42.70°C
- Pignatelli — ~42.70°C
- Boccea — ~42.70°C
- Tenth — 42.39°C
- Castel Romano — 42.38°C
- Corviale — 42.36°C
- Bad faith — 42.33°C
- Val Melaina — 42.33°C
- Tor Marancio — 42.32°C
- Spinach – 42.31°C
- Tor San Giovanni — 42.30°C
- Fidena — 42.28°C
- Pian Due Torri — 42.27°C
- Monte Sacro Alto — 42.27°C
- Torrino — 42.26°C
- Portuense — 42.22°C
- Ponte Galeria — 42.10°C
- Historic center — 41.98°C
- Eur — 41.94°C
- Gianicolense — 41.81°C
- Aventine — 41.80°C
- Meadows — 41.76°C
- Appius — 41.74°C
- Salary — 41.45°C
- Trieste — 41.38°C
- Flaminium — 40.99°C
- Trastevere — 40.95°C
- Monte Sacro — 40.79°C
- Olympic Village — 40.74°C
- Ostia Antica — 40.62°C
- Palocco — 40.49°C
- Parioli — 40.48°C
- Villa Pamphili — 40.36°C
- Della Vittoria — 40.09°C
- Gold Medals — 39.92°C
- Ostia South — 39.72°C
- Farnesina – 39.50°C
- Foro Italico — 39.47°C
- Ostia Nord — 38.94°C
- Villa Borghese — 38.90°C
- Triumphal — 38.45°C
- Pineto — 38.25°C
- Villa Ada — 38.20°C
- Acquatraversa — 38.01°C
- Castel Fusano — 35.57°C
- Castel Porziano — 34.37°C
- Santa Maria della Pietà — 34.22°C
Note: for Labaro, Pignatelli and Boccea the data is indicated as “just under” 42.70°C, without an exact value in the source.
The eastern quadrant, the most exposed
The eastern quadrant of the capital is confirmed as one of the most critical areas: in addition to the areas at the top of the ranking, Appia Antica Sud, Giardinetti-Tor Vergata and Torre Angela also well exceed 45 degrees. Just below, between 44 and 45 degrees, there are densely populated neighborhoods such as Appio-Claudio, Tor Tre Teste, La Rustica, Casal Bertone, San Basilio, Settecamini, Torrespaccata, Centocelle, Quarto Miglio, Lunghezza and Torpignattara: a wide strip of suburbs where the lack of greenery is combined with a high population density.
The center and semi-central neighborhoods: cooler, but not cool
The historic center stops at 41.98 degrees, still a high value but significantly lower than the eastern area, thanks to the greater presence of greenery and trees and less congested traffic compared to the suburbs. Areas such as Prati, Trastevere, Flaminio, Aventino and Salario remain at similar values, between 41 and 42 degrees.
The sea as a mitigator: the case of Ostia
The proximity to the sea also makes a difference within the municipality itself: in Ostia Nord the temperature drops to 38.94 degrees, almost eight degrees less than the hottest points of the city, while Ostia Antica and Ostia Sud stand at 40.62 and 39.72 degrees respectively.
The coolest areas: parks and pine forests
The lowest temperatures on the entire map are recorded in the large natural areas of the city: Castel Fusano (35.57°C), Castel Porziano (34.37°C) and Santa Maria della Pietà (34.22°C) are the coolest areas of all. Villa Ada (38.20°C), Villa Borghese (38.90°C) and the Trionfale (38.45°C) also confirm the role of the large green areas as a climatic refuge, with differences that exceed 12 degrees compared to the more concreted areas.
Not just temperature: energy poverty
The report covering the period 2015-2025 does not limit itself to measuring the heat of surfaces, but crosses satellite data with the quality of buildings, energy spending and the economic vulnerability of families, introducing the concept of energy poverty linked to summer cooling.
The greatest critical issues emerge in Fonte Ostiense, Tor Cervara, Torrino, Castel Giubileo, Tor de’ Cenci, Suburbio Trionfale, Torre Gaia, Capannelle, Borghesiana and Alessandrino. Fonte Ostiense records the highest indicator (0.74), followed by Tor Cervara (0.73) and Torrino, Castel Giubileo and Tor de’ Cenci, all at 0.71. In these neighborhoods the problem does not only concern the accumulation of heat in streets and buildings, but also the greater economic difficulty of families in supporting the costs of cooling their homes.
The Alessandrino case: when even the services are without a shadow
For direct field monitoring, the Alessandrino neighborhood – one of the most densely populated and least green areas of the eastern quadrant – was chosen as a case study. Out of 53 places and services surveyed in the area, 37 (around 70%) are completely exposed to the sun in the central hours of the day: all three pharmacies, the medical and pediatric offices, the single analysis centre, the six supermarkets, the eight food shops, the post office, the three Cafs and nine out of twelve restaurant establishments. Only seven fountains were surveyed in the area, no fountain, no tree-lined avenue and no dog area. It is what the report defines as “cooling poverty”, or the difficulty of finding shelter from the heat not only inside the home, but also in public spaces and in daily travel.
The big picture: Rome is getting hotter
The general data confirm the progressive warming of the city. In 2023 the average annual temperature in Rome was 17.8 degrees, 2.3 degrees higher than the average for the period 1971-2000. In the same year there were 45 tropical nights, with the minimum temperature never falling below 20 degrees, while between 2015 and 2025 the city recorded 93 extreme weather events.
According to this analysis, the thermal difference between the densest urban areas and the surrounding vegetated areas can reach up to 6.5 degrees, with a particularly marked effect in Municipalities I and II and in the eastern quadrant of the city.
Sources: “The hottest neighborhoods in Rome in the last 10 years” (Legambiente Lazio report, 2014-2024 data); report of the campaign “It’s so hot!” of Legambiente with RSE as technical partner (satellite data 2015-2025).
