Tobacco, marijuana, and other smoke I don't want to smell

I went to Italy in July 2016 for a week and again January 2017 for a week.
I traveled with someone who is pretty sensitive or hates smoke as well.
She did not notice it like in Germany and France when we went to those two countries in 2015 and she whined about it the whole trip even though I could not smell it. It does not seem as prevalent in Italy.

Since you are going, and you've taken the necessary precautions to avoid these things to the extent you can, I recommend you relax and make the best of whatever comes your way. You can let these annoyances ruin your vacation, or you can accept what you can't change and commit to having a great time no matter what you inhale second-hand.

Your choice.

Mike,

I've never noticed people in Italy smoking crack or pot, and it's not likely you'd encounter that in tourist sites. Italy has very tough anti-smoking laws, and I once witnessed a young traveller from the U.S. getting "the bum's rush" out of a Hostel as he lit up right underneath a large No Smoking sign (what an idiot)! Smokers are mostly limited to the outside patios at restaurants, so if you dine inside (which is what I usually do), you won't be bothered by them (although if the wind turns the wrong way, it could be a minor problem).

Maybe you should bring a respirator. Many Japanese wear face masks for some reason so why not.

Lots of smoking in Italy. I have run quite a few marathons and half marathons and am amazed by all the smokers. I ran a half marathon 3 weeks ago in Florence and had to keep moving away from people that were smoking to watch others finishing. Many had run the 5 mile race. I see them leave the gym here in Vignola and the first thing they do is light up a cigarette. Much more smoking than I've ever seen in US.

Crack , really ? A bit of hyperbole I imagine .

Answer , anyone super sensitive to the smell of tobacco will smell it on occasion .

Move on if you do .

Most folks will not find it so overwhelming however .

Short answer, cigarette and cigar smoking is tightly regulated and you won't have a problem. Restaurants and bars can only have smokers in separate areas with separate ventilation systems. The one area to be aware of is outdoor cafe seating where smoking is allowed and you could end up downwind of a smoker. Your marijuana and crack fears are ridiculous.

Smoking is banned inside public places pretty much everywhere in Italy so you won't any any issue there. Outside is open season: you are not going to be able to totally avoid it. It is what it is so be prepared to politely put up with it now and again when necessary. I'll stress "politely" as giving a local lighting up wherever he/she is allowed to a dirty look or otherwise giving them a hard time is not going to fly.

But seriously? Pot? Crack? At the landmarks? LOL.

Italy is not Detroit

Since most Italians now use smartphones while walking down the street, and the other hand is still used to gesture while talking, smoking on the street has been greatly reduced.

Walking past outdoor dining or drinking areas can give you a bit of wafting smoke, just try to walk further from these places.

And as Kathy said, it is rude to gesture, make faces, or confront someone who is smoking where it is permitted.

Never made the correlation of smartphone=less smoking, Zoe, but it makes sense. On our trip last month to Rome & Sorrento, can't remember a single time when I smelled smoke enough that it bothered me. I suppose it was occasionally there, but certainly not in restaurants and definitely not on any mode of transportation. Those crowded Rome buses must have been brutal back in the day!

Jay, I should have also pointed out that many Italians don't smoke because they know it's not healthy.

Smoking is strictly prohibited in museums and most indoor places, however if someone smokes outdoor I don't know what to tell you, I guess you have to move on. Fewer people smoke nowadays than a generation ago, but some do smoke cigarettes.

Smoking marijuana is permitted for medical reasons, but it is not permitted otherwise. It is no longer punished as a penal crime, but it is an administrative infraction (like driving inside the ZTL) which entails administrative penalties up to the temporary suspension of driver's license, firearm permits, or revocation of visa for foreigners, therefore you won't necessarily see people smoking it on Piazza Del Duomo in Milan.

The only crack I've seen in Italy is my plumber's when he comes to fix things at my house.

The only crack I've seen in Italy is my plumber's when he comes to fix
things at my house.

ROF, Roberto! Oodles of artfully carved and painted cracks in Italian museums. 😉

My mention of crack smoke may have been an exageration. My mention of marijuana smoke may have been an exageration; some writers in Detroit local free print media seem to think the stuff is sexy, titilating, or cool, and in the last few weeks I have started smelling some kind of strong, nasty burning stench in the hall of my apartment building, comming from one of the other apartments; I suppose I wanted to see whether people smoke outside buildings in Italy more than in Detroit; a smoking ban in Michigan started in May 2010 which is supposed to include the outdoor seating area of restaurants, along with the indoor seating areas, and hotels.

"The one area to be aware of is outdoor cafe seating where smoking is allowed and you could end up downwind of a smoker."

This is important. I find that even if there are no smokers when I sit down outdoors, sooner or later they turn up. So, to avoid smoke at restaurants, just sit indoors.

This is important. I find that even if there are no smokers when I sit
down outdoors, sooner or later they turn up. So, to avoid smoke at
restaurants, just sit indoors.

As a non-smoker, I hate that we can't enjoy the outdoor cafes without smelling someone else's smoke while eating. I love eating outdoors, and other people's smoke just ruins the moment. I think smoker's should have their freedom to smoke, but I just don't like it when it affects others who don't want to smell their smoke. :(

My wife has been to Italy 15 or so times now and the principle odor that reminds her of Rome is diesel fumes. I'm pretty sure we've inhaled far more automotive smoke than any other kind but that's life in the big city.

Mike,

Like everywhere in Europe, smoking tobacco is still socially acceptable and many more people smoke than in the USA. However, like everywhere else in Europe, the EU has almost universally forced bans on smoking in public places such as hotels, restaurants, retail spaces, museums, etc. (Non of the private apartments I rented in Italy a couple years ago allowed smoking either.) I don't have first-hand experience with bars in Italy because I've never been in one but it doesn't sound like you will either. In fact, you'll probably smell more tobacco smoke standing outside eating in the public squares because that's where all the smokers have been forced to go...

As for marijuana, crack, and such, it's just as illegal there as it is in 99.9% of the USA so I don't think you'll have anything to worry about.

By the way, be careful WHERE you eat outside in public as some communities have banned that activity as well.

Mike, I am a non-smoker and like you, I hate the smell of any kind of smoking. i spent 19 days in Italy in 2015 and I was never bothered by any type of smoke while I was there. I think you will do fine. I was really concerned that I would smell the effects of smoking in the hotel rooms, but not once did I ever and residual smell.

Mike,
Prepare to smell a lot of diesel exhaust in the big cities. As far as cigarettes go, it's almost inescapable sometimes....if you travel, you need to be flexible about all sorts of things. Hyper-rigidity will just make your trip miserable. I traveled in the Balkans and there were still many smokers there - frankly, this is small potatoes relative to the benefits of the trip. Since smokers (everywhere) have been pushed outdoors, it's safe to say that you'll see them concentrated outdoors since they can't smoke inside anymore.

I have pretty European ways for an American (and lived abroad for a spell, years ago) but I can never get past the smell of cigarettes in public places. I try hard to avoid the smokers but somehow I always sit down right next to someone who lights up, and dangles their smoking cigarette (or worse - cigar) in my airstream. It sucks. And yes, it happens a lot in Italy.

I have mentioned this to European friends and their response is almost always hostile, like infringing on the air quality of others is a deeply-held cultural value of theirs. I get called all sorts of "naive American" slurs because I don't understand the need to puff in public. People seem quite irrational about it.

From your post it sounds like you have more than an aversion to this, as I do, perhaps bordering on a phobia - am I right?

I don't care for cigarette smoke either. In Italy I find it more common to run into the stench from Vespa exhaust as they seem to be everywhere.

Kathy...excellent answers. Yr reference makes me think of my best buddy in grad school who whenever he was having a horrible day in school in Boston in the early 90s would go to the student union, find undergrad smokers outside of their assigned area, and yell at them

HOWEVER, in varenna in some nameless bar that served " breakfast " (important for me to admit my perfect breakfast is American coffee, scrambled eggs, and potatoes, yes, I'm culturally Irish) I was trying to make do w my croissant, expresso, and the entire essence of second hand smoke. Sigh.

In general it seems to me that I notice more smoking in Europe than I do in the states, but like anywhere you just need to move on. It is an unfortunate side effect of life. While my dream of all smokers living in bubbles isn't possible, I take comfort in knowing Darwin is doing his thing.

You have gotten quite the array of responses. My advice is to take a few chances and go to a restaurant and eat. As was mentioned, smoking inside is prohibited, as long as you are away from the outdoor seating, you should not have a problem at all. To go to Italy and avoid eating some of the great food seems such a shame.

I'm a bit more sensitive to smoke since I'm rarely around it (as opposed to when I was younger and my dad smoked, and the malls allowed smoking, which would always drift into the store I worked at).

I do find it bothers me when we travel because...well, we are outside way more than at home, so we are constantly, it seems, walking by smokers on the street, etc. Of course, it does suck to not be able to sit outside to eat, and even inside, make sure you are away from the door (not Italy, but thinking of when we were in France, ate inside to avoid the smoke, and what I can only assume was the owner was standing IN THE DOORWAY smoking, which of course just blew inside).

In the end, I just deal, because, well, we are on holiday and I'm not going to let smoke ruin it for me. Maybe make sure you have a map or something you can just wave the smoke away, or do what I do and practice holding your breath for when you walk by smokers on the street. :) Take some hard candy or lozenges with you - smoke really irritates and dries out my throat - so it helps to keep my throat/mouth from getting dry.

I love Zoe's comment about smartphones reducing smoking on the street!

I am smoking crack right now in Orvieto on the steps of the Duomo.

Kim, wave hello to the ever-present military across the piazza from the Duomo steps!

I must know-how do you feel about incense in churches?

Mike,

I've never smoked and now that it is largely banned I have become sensitive to what cigarette smoke I do encounter.

When my wife and I were in Rome and Tuscany December 2015, it was a non-issue. I tried to remember any occasion where there were smokers and none come to mind. Don't worry about it. Go and have a wonderful time!

PS Be aware that you will be surrounded by wine drinkers!

If you think people smoke marijuana because it's cool then you are obviously not aware of all the many other reasons people consume it . I don't smoke it , but if I had a medical issue or anxiety etc , I'd smoke it before I took some prescribed medicine from a doctor it's safer and had less side effects .

As for pot being illlegal in 99 percent of America , no I doubt that very much , many states are in process of joining the states where it's legal . At least decrimmanalized , just as it is in many countries in Europe now (not just the nederlands , but Spain and portugual too , as well as others I am not aware of )

I imagine it's like cigarette smoke though , you are restricted as to where you can smoke it , just like you can't have a beer while walking down the street in most places in Canada or USA, legal to consume , but not everywhere.

As a reformed smoker (25 well puffed years) I now find myself sensitive to cigarette smoke. Cigar smoke doesn't seem to bother me, perhaps because I like the smell. That said, I sometimes smell smoke in the most unexpected places, and have decided that I won't let it spoil my fun. If it bothers, move on. Smile and enjoy the experience that is Italy, with all its warts and blemishes. I can understand your position, but it's all temporary. Now, the non-drinking....not even wine?????

My wife is very sensitive to smoke so it is always something on my mind when traveling even though it does not bother me.

As many mentioned in Europe tobacco is not as restrictive and looked down upon as in the US as a general rule.
Although times have changed things over there as well and the only possible issue I imagine you will run into is eating outdoors.
Most outdoor eating places allow it and smokers know this so will sit outdoors for this purpose. I found smoking at outdoor eating places much more commonplace in France than Italy.
Indoors at the same places it is not a problem, so if an issue for you always ask for an indoor table.

Weed you are much more likely to smell in a US city or park than anywhere in Italy.
Crack I wouldn't know what that smells like and not sure you would either.
The US has definitely taken a more open policy on weed but not crack and I would consider them far different types of drug. Italy did not seem open on either.