Hot in the city? Free movies help Italians ‘chill’ in Rome

Rome is dealing with a brutal summer the way any self-respecting cinema city might: by opening the theaters. The city just launched “The Big Chill,” named after the 1983 film, giving residents somewhere air-conditioned to sit out the worst of the heat while watching a movie.

It's a real need. Energy company Enel puts the share of Italian homes with air conditioning at under half, so plenty of Romans have been reduced to fanning themselves by hand while the temperature climbs.

Mayor Roberto Gualtieri unveiled the plan Wednesday at a press conference, framing it as more than just a way to beat the heat — it's also meant to get isolated residents out of their apartments and back into some kind of social, cultural life.

“Beautiful films including new releases will be screened,” Gualtieri said.

“Each day a different film will be shown, and people will be able to spend time there watching a movie in a cool environment, because not everyone has air conditioning.”

The lineup runs the gamut of recent Italian cinema: “There's Still a Tomorrow” from Paola Cortellesi, Michael Giraud's “Flaminia,” Margherita Buy's “Volare,” Francesco Cordio's “One Step at a Time: Fabi Silvestri Gazzé,” Claudio Giovannesi's “Hey Joe,” Maria Sole Tognazzi's “Ten Minutes,” Giovanni Veronesi's “Romeo is Juliet,” Antonio Albanese's “One Hundred Sundays,” Carlo Sironi's “That Summer with Irene,” and Edoardo Leo's “I Am Not What I Am.”

Don't expect to see many tourists there, though — despite the free-movie appeal, this is really aimed at locals rather than visitors, most of whom are already sitting pretty in air-conditioned hotel rooms. Each cinema will run through two films a day, cycling the same lineup across all participating venues for the duration of the program, which city officials say could be extended if the heat sticks around.

Rome isn't stopping at cinemas, either. The Auditorium and the Palaexpo center — both massive venues — are opening their doors for free exhibitions, and a whole roster of libraries, theaters and co-working spaces will offer free entry from 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. through August 4.

The heat isn't just a Rome problem. Cities across Europe have spent this summer scrambling to set up water stations and cooling centers for residents without air conditioning at home, as one heat wave after another rolls through the continent.

Rome itself has been stuck around 98 degrees Fahrenheit all week, with another wave expected next week that could push temperatures as high as 104. And according to Italy's Air Force, the country's official weather authority, August isn't going to bring much relief.

Gualtieri says the city currently has 178 designated climate shelters spread across Rome. “I think it's the most in the world,” he said Wednesday, adding with a bit of dry humor, “And in Rome we don't count supermarkets since there aren't any bathrooms.”

The program is backed by Rome's culture department alongside Zetema Progetto Cultura. One thing it won't cover: popcorn.

Some information for this report was gathered via edition.cnn.com.