Italy is home to some of the world’s best pizza. Sadly, it’s also home to rising smog levels. Recently, the mayor of San Vitaliano, a small town outside Naples, took a step to change that by issuing a temporary ban on use of wood-fired ovens.
According to Quartz, the three-month long ban will be enforced by periodic police check-ups. If chefs and bakers want to continue serving their famous traditional pizzas and breads, they’ll have to outfit their ovens with special filters. Otherwise, they’ll face a hefty fine of up to 1,032 euros.
Naturally, the town’s food-loving locals are skeptical about the ban’s potential benefits, protesting that neighbouring Naples — which is larger, but boasts better air quality — has far more pizzerias than they do.
The smog must stem from another source, they say. Still, it’s hard to argue that San Vitaliano’s pollution problem isn’t concerning. In 2015, the town reportedly exceeded the threshold for emissions 114 times. Meanwhile, the notoriously dirty Milan only passed it 86 times, according to the BBC.
