Extreme heat threatens Italy’s Parmesan heartland

Fifty years ago, farmers in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region used to open the windows in their barns at night during the summer to keep their cattle cool.

Today, as heatwaves send temperatures soaring to record highs, those windows stay open round the clock to protect the cows, and ultimately their milk, the foundation of the area’s centuries-old Parmigiano Reggiano cheese industry....