Milan, which three years ago was the first Italian city to restrict outdoor smoking is now banning at altogether, starting New Years Day.
Italy banned indoor smoking in all indoor public spaces in 2005, one of the leaders in that direction, but has lax rules for smoking in outdoor public spaces.
Milan’s 2021 restrictions stubbed out cigarettes in parks, playground, transit stops, cemeteries and sports venues. The new rules cover the rest of the outdoor public world, except for e-cigarettes.
The city is in the middle of the Po Valley, noted as the worst area in Europe for air pollution, and smoking has been responsible for a significant portion of the controllable pollution.
