Pavia is at the heart of Italy's rice-making industry. The province regularly produces nearly 5 million tonnes of the grain each year. But this year there was not enough spring rain and its rice farmers are despondent.

Summer came too early to Europe's most important rice growing region and weeds are taking over Sharon Angoli's parched paddies in Italy's Pavia province.

Italian rice farmers are despondent over the lack of spring rain, while rivers from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea are in ‘critical situation’ because of drought.