In a town near Naples pizza oenshavebeenbanned
In a town near Naples pizza ovens have been banned Getty Images

A town on the outskirts of Naples has banned pizza ovens in a bid to disperse a mysterious smog hanging over the town.

The mayor of San Vitaliano has banned the use of wood-fired stoves in bakeries and pizzerias unless the owners install special filters to reduce air pollution.

The town has some of the worst air pollution in Italy, exceeding the threshold for polluting emissions 114 times, compared with 86 times for industrialised Milan.

The ban, which has been prompted by town authority's "utmost concern" over worsening air quality, will remain in place until 31 March. It can be reintroduced if the new air filtering systems prove ineffective.

Those firing up the pizza ovens in contravention of the mayor's ban face fines of up to €1,027 (£760, $1,130).

Locals are not impressed by the order, pointing out that no such ban had been imposed in response to pollution in nearby Naples, where countless pizza ovens emit wood smoke.

"Shocking, it's so ridiculous. They don't want us to make pizza?" Massimilliano Arichello of the local pizzeria Taverna 191 asked local paper Il Mattino.

"We make about 34 pizzas a day, how do they think we are responsible for the pollution problems around here?"

More about Naples
Italy