Smokers in Milan, Italy’s financial and fashion capital, risk fines for lighting up on city streets or in crowded public areas following the enforcement of the country’s toughest smoking ban, which came into effect today.
Those who defy the new prohibition in the polluted northern Italian city face fines ranging from €40 to €240 (£35–£207), a punishment that has divided opinions among residents, reports AFP.
“I think this measure is excessive. If we are talking about indoor places, I agree because smoking can be bothersome and unhealthy,” said 21-year-old sales clerk Myrian Illiano.
“But if it’s an open space, I don’t see why one should be restricted.”
However, 39-year-old content creator Chiara Ciuffini expressed support for the measure.
“I agree because I am a sporty, non-smoking person. I hope smokers can understand the need for non-smokers to breathe cleaner air,” she said.
Milan’s air quality ordinance, passed by the city council in 2020, introduced progressively stricter smoking bans. Since 2021, smoking was forbidden in parks, playgrounds, bus stops, and sports facilities. The latest ban, effective January 1, 2025, extends to “all public spaces, including streets”, except “isolated areas where it is possible to maintain at least 10 metres of distance from other people”.
Local officials said the measure aims to reduce airborne particulates and improve air quality while protecting citizens’ health, including shielding children from passive smoking in public spaces.
Emanuele Marinoni, vice president of the Italian Tobacconists Federation and a tobacco shop owner in Milan, expects a 20 to 30 percent drop in sales. “When people are in the office, they usually step outside to smoke. It is obvious this will lead to a decrease in cigarette consumption,” he said.
The ban, which precedes the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, does not apply to e-cigarettes.
Milan, located in the industrial Po Valley and heavily impacted by road traffic, is one of Europe’s most polluted cities. Cigarette smoke, like other forms of combustion, contributes to fine particulate pollution, according to Anna Scavuzzo, Milan’s deputy mayor.
