Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, known for his love of cigars, said he wants to introduce outdoor no-smoking zones in the historic centre of his city after seeing the measures in place on a recent trip to Tokyo.
“A ban on smoking would help to make Venice cleaner,” he said on Monday at an Italian mayors’ forum in Rome.
“I’m speaking as someone who enjoys the occasional cigar, but I always try to avoid smoking when there are lots of people around, even if I’m out in the open.”
Brugnaro said the ban would first be implemented in crowded tourist areas, such as the Rialto Bridge and St Mark’s Square.
He added that Venice authorities are considering handing out “small plastic bags” for visitors to dispose of their cigarette butts in, instead of littering the city’s streets and canals.
The ban would cut down not only on the dangers of passive smoking for non-smokers but also on the scourge of millions of cigarette butts being tossed to the ground.
Smoking is not permitted inside bars and restaurants in Italy, but there are no restrictions on smoking on terraces, in doorways or any kind of outdoor seating area, or at most beaches.
