Dead trees and searing-hot benches: Rome’s multimillion-dollar cooling piazza shows the challenges of brutal heat

Barbie Latza Nadeau Rome (CNN) — The new trees meant to provide much-needed shade in Rome’s Piazza Risorgimento were burnt to a crisp. Benches in dark plastic and wood were searingly hot. Several of the large flower pots had been gutted of their foliage entirely. The bushes lining the entrance were a burnt orange color.