Apart from Beijing, two of Italy's largest city, Milan and Rome, are suffering from alarming levels of air pollution.

According to the Daily Beast, one big part of this pollution problem is due to pizza ovens and Vespas. The city of Milan is currently in a thick yellow smog that topped the international bad air quality level more than 97 times this year alone.

Moreover, the report stated that not only the air pollution in the city is bothersome; it is also becoming deadly as more than 30,000 people die each year in the country because of health complications tied to bad air quality.

According to the Department of Epidemiology of the Lazio Region Health Service, "In terms of life expectancy this means that, on average, air pollution shortens the life of every Italian citizen by 10 months," It added, "Respecting laws would save 11,000 lives every year."

The air pollution have become so bad that the government is outright banning Vespas, Pizza Ovens and even cars. As noted, all private non-electric vehicles are banned from the city streets from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for three days, starting in Monday.

In Rome, only those who have license plates ending in even numbers can be used on Monday and those with uneven numbers can run Tuesday for nine hours of the day.

In a similar report by BBC, cars deemed environmentally friendly are exempted from the ban. But commuters are assured by the Milan authorities by introducing a special "anti-smog" all-day public transport ticket that costs roughly $1.65.

Milan Mayor Giulano Pisapia appealed to all the city's municipalities to observe the ban and said, "In these days of major emergency, we cannot remain indifferent."

Of course, not everyone is happy on the ban. According to the Chicago Tribune, anti-euro and anti-immigrant Northern League Party Matteo Salvini said that the ban does not solve the problems in the air, but only bother those who would want to work.

As for the pizza ovens, stoves must now be fitted with special pollution filters before they are allowed back into use. But if you think that is drastic, a town called San Vitaliano near Naples has decreed a three-month prohibition on cooking pizzas in wood-fired ovens after the alert.

This comes with the report that the air-pollution alert levels in the town were breached regularly over the past six months.

In addition, authorities in Tuscany and Rovigo would not allow traditional New Year and Epiphany bonfires made from wood and shrubs.