A Smoggy Belpaese

To many it is affectionately called il belpaese, the beautiful country, but for anyone that has lived there, they know that smog tarnishes its beauty.

The World Health Organization released yesterday a frightening statistic: in Italy every year, an average of 8,220 people die from smog-related deaths. Smog-related deaths account for 9% of the deaths of those over age 30, traffic accidents excluded.

The Beautiful Country's smog is particularly high in Milan, Rome, Bologna, the Padanian plain, and in the industrial triangle between Torino, Genoa and Milan. Pictured above is Torino, blanketed in smog.