Excessive heat is very stressful for most rhododendrons and azaleas with the possible exception of some the Japanese azaleas which have been bred to withstand heat. There are also some large leaf rhododendrons beginning to appear which have rhododendron hyperythrum as a parent which have also been bred to be growable in very warm climates. In any case, even these would not be able to take much direct sun exposure. A dry summer climate would only add to the difficulty as a relatively high degree of atmospheric moisture is necessary for rhododendrons to grow well. The area around Lake Como would be both cooler because of altitude and have moister air. It would be easy enough to check soil pH with a basic kit sold for that purpose. The physical structure of the soil, however, is just as important as pH. Rhododendrons and azaleas need a planting medium that consists of at least 25% - 50% is better - organic matter. Then there is the fact many root diseases become much more of a problem when the planting medium reaches a high temperature. Camellias are better adapted to hot climates than the vast majority of azaleas and rhododendrons even though they also require acid soil. Pot culture may be successful because of the extra attention the plants receive. Large terra cotta type pots also provide natural cooling through evaporation.

Yes to the slice and dice, to the sway of your aesthetic heart's content. Set those cuttings aside, and in the while while they're callusing, you can read about starting cuttings on the C&S forum (now's a good season) with literally a MILLION words written about that. They wouldn't be damaged, per say, though they'd be shaped by what they grow against/through/across/circumvallated (which is in itself an interesting subject). Get tipsy with them in the way you like, as these are trainable plants. Cut away, with a clean cutter, and realize these plants can survive, nay, prosper, with a severe limb removal. You will see new growth at the removed areas within six weeks, IME, if not sooner.

"PS, it's malware, not maleware" LOL I wonder what the psychological inferences might be with that slip of the typing finger?!?! LOL *[Sorry Fudd. I couldn't resist.]

I've noticed this posting on the mobile site from my phone. Whatever they're using for the text editor does not play nice with my phone's autocomplete/autocorrection. It's like it's not always recognizing when a word ends and another begins - you can see it in action if you pay attention to the predictive text options. This seems to be why it truncates stuff you just finished writing and will change out half of a longer word with a seemingly nonsensical autocorrection.