Italy lights up again: Smoking rises to highest level in almost two decades

There are almost 1 million new smokers since 2019

A 1970s couple at the Antico Caffe Greco, Rome (Alamy)

In Italy you would be hard-pressed to find a dinner table where at least half the diners didn’t light up after a meal, striking the quintessentially Italian pose of a cigarette in one hand and a digestif in the other.

From a morning espresso at the cafe to an early evening Campari spritz in piazza, the cigarette has proven a loyal companion for many generations of Italians.

It is still the epitome of cool, even in such enlightened times. Go on to YouTube and you can find videos dedicated to film scenes of legendary Italian star Sophia Loren smoking in various movies.