In early January 2005, smoking was banned in restaurants, cafes and - bars! - throughout Italy.
Recommendations of venues which actually do it are still most welcome, as are opinions about the effectiveness of the ban.

June 2005: "God bless Italy!": I'm back from a 10-day trip through north and central Italy, and can report that it's absolute paradise! What an incredible experience to enjoy delicious Italian food, not only in clean air, but also without the constant fear that the next person choosing a table next to you will be a smoker. It's this fear, the way you never can relax, that for me makes dining such an unpleasant experience in a "non-smoker-hostile" country, for instance Germany.

My Italian experience, in May 2005, was 100% positive. I had the pleasure to visit 16 restaurants ranging from upscale places to simple cafeterias, and the smoking ban was totally respected everywhere! Rain or sunshine, everyone wanting to smoke went outside. In every establishment, non-smoking signs were clearly posted, along with information on the maximum fines.
... thanks to a happy reviewer from Luxembourg - his many picks have been added below

March: We've just returned from 6 days in Rome ... and we were very impressed with the no-smoking ban working (so far). It was a delight to sit in restaurants with no-one spoiling our meals, and one meal we had in a trendy restaurant was in a basement, which could have been horrid in the past. Eating Al Fresco was doing a roaring trade, the restaurant terraces were full even though it was cold, about 4 degrees at night. Still, they do wear fur coats!
Long may it last!
... thanks to some happy visitors from London

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Osteria del Teatro
Via Maffei,2 Cortona (Ar)     0575 630556
This restaurant FABULOUS! The waitstaff is excellent and, from what I could gather, the entire restaurant has a non-smoking section and may be completely non-smoking. As I walked through, I did not see one person smoking. The section where we were seated was all tourists, however none were smoking. We had requested non-smoking and we were accommodated. Highly recommended!
Thanks to Douglas!

La Tavola dei Borboni
Viale della Libert&136;, 1
0822 Casagiove     tel 0823495001
Ristorante. Cheerful. Nice picture.

MILANO (separate page)

Pizzeria Ristorante Lo Smeraldo
Via Vignola 247     tel 0536948177
Pizzeria con una sala appositamente non fumatori. Qualita molto buoa, buoni vini.
Nice pizzeria/restaurant; very good quality and service. Speciality: pizza al metro! Good wine menu. Two completely separate rooms (halls), for smokers and non-smokers!
thanks Fabio Gemelli!

Villa Verde
Via San Eustorgio 21
Ristorante con sala fumatori o non fumatori.
Restaurant with with separate smoking and non smoking rooms.

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Capanna Cervino
Gestore: Castellazzo S.r.l.
Tel. 0439/769095    Ab. 0462/501774 (tel+fax)
Trentino
Bar & restaurant on a ski slope in the Dolomites. Rustic interior, beautiful mountain landscape, moderate prices. Other ski bars in the area are smoky even during meal hours.

Thanks to Vlado.

Locanda della Valle Nuova
La Cappella 14
Fermignano, Le Marche
tel +39 0722 330303 fax 0722 330303
Farm holiday. Near Urbino (UNESCO's World Heritage List), smoke free accommodation (B&B and home made organic dinners) in a large organic farm.

Pizzeria La Buca
Via G. Tassi, 6B / Via S. Maria, 171
Trattoria con sala fumatori o non fumatori.
Trattoria with separate smoking and non smoking rooms.

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ROME (separate page)

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Villa Rosi
Vacation home for rent. Restored stone house with garage, patio, and a wood-fired barbecue. in the foothills of the Appennines. Valley views, close to local dining.
Note: the rental agency may have other smokefree rentals.

SIENA

Hotel Genzianella
via Funivia, 6 23032 Bormio (Sondrio)
tel +39 342 904485
Our house has a really privileged location: directly in front of our large parking stand in fact the ski-lifts and the arrival of the Stelvio ski-slope. At the present time we are renewing our hall, the bar and the reception. We would like to create a large "living room" with a special atmosphere; with soft lights and confortable sofas. All the rooms are no smokers rooms.
info@genzianella.com

Casa Portagioia
Pieve Di Chio 56     Castiglion Fiorentino     +39 0575 650154
contact: smokefree@tuscanbreaks.com
Our bed and breakfast and mini apartments are set in a farm in a valley surrounded by Olive groves and typical Tuscan landscape along with mature woodland. Near Cortona, Sienna (35 minutes), Florence (1 hour), Assisi (45 minutes), Arezzo (15 minutes) and the Chianti region (30 minutes). There are some excellent restaurants close by. We also provide a hairdressing service for those special evenings or just for the sake of it!
Accommodation: 2 self-contained fully equipped apartments (separate from the main house) for up to 4 persons, plus 5 separate independent double bedrooms (all with private bathroom). AC, central heating and in each apartment, a country style log stove. Each room is tastefully furnished and has a satellite TV with English language stations. All rooms are Non Smoking.
Breakfast is included for guests taking our bedrooms. Breakfast is also available to our guests using our mini-apartments for a small extra charge. Our swimming pool, set on the hillside with perfect views around the valley, is the perfect way to relax. We serve a light lunch at the pool. Dinner is available twice a week by arrangement.

LIVORNO

Agriturismo Boschi di Montecalvi
Foreste delle casette 99, 57028 Suvereto (Livorno)   tel/fax 0565-85 41 51
L'Agriturismo Boschi di Montecalvi è situato nello splendore dell'alta maremma toscana, ai confini delle provincie di Livorno e Grosseto. Gode di una magnifica vista sulle colline toscane e sul Mar Tirreno (Punta Ala e Costa degli Etruschi) che dista solo 15 minuti dall'agriturismo. Sarete immersi in una quiete assoluta, lontani dal rumore e dalla vista delle auto. Ciononostante dista solo 3 Km (percorribili con una comoda strada asfaltata) dal paese più vicino, l'antico borgo medievale di Suvereto, e 8 km da Venturina, punto di arrivo dell'autostrada e grosso borgo commerciale. Siamo inseriti in un'area molto ricca sia dal punto di vista naturalistico che artistico e tutte le principali città d'arte sono raggiungibili con gite in giornata. Per qualsiasi ulteriore informazione e per visionare una ricca galleria fotografica visitate il sito www.boschidimontecalvi.it.
Organic farm and restaurant with apartments for holidays all year round. Magnificent Tuscany! Beautiful swimming pool! Breathtaking views! See our website!!!

VENEZIA (separate page)

Ristorante L'Antico Frantoio
Via Pai di Sotto, 80   tel +39 045 7260390     fax +39 045 7260928
In the Pai Hotel. Smokefree *inside*.

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Le Pagine Della Salute: Locali Senza Fumo
Dr. Paolo Madeyski's list of smokefree bars and restaurants in the Basso Piave area. He is involved with other health-related initiatives as well, described in Le Pagina Della Salute The website has won many awards in the last year.

Ferrara - provincia senza fumo
Official non-smoking restaurant list of the Comune of Ferrara

Locali con spazi per non fumatori
Max Polito's list of restaurants and cafes throughout Italy. Look for "Locale per non fumatori" which means completely nonsmoking, or "sala" which means a separate room (which may or may not have separate ventilation or door). He also includes places with nonsmoking "areas", which may or may not have separation.
Thanks to Massimiliano Polito!

Ristoranti X non fumatori
Davide Sini's list of smokefree venues in Milano. Nice design and also has other cultural, political and administrative information about the Milan area.

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