Mantua becomes Italy's greenest city despite regional air pollution

Mantua, a city in the Lombardy region of Italy, ranked as the country's greenest city in the latest Ecosistema Urbano report by the environmental organisation Legambiente.

The city earned a score of 81.29 out of 100, making it the only Italian city to score above 80 points in the assessment. It surpassed other cities such as Trento and Bolzano in the rankings. The city achieved this status through high performance in categories like waste management, urban greenery, and mobility.

Mantua maintains a large limited-traffic zone and collects more than 83% of its waste for recycling. The city also provides over 33 metres of cycle lanes per 100 residents and has 93 trees for every 100 residents. Additionally, public buildings feature photovoltaic panels with a capacity of 19.9 kilowatts per 1,000 homes. While Mantua faces air quality challenges due to its location in the Po Valley, it has seen improvements in ozone levels.

The number of days with ozone exceeding permitted limits dropped from 39 to 25 this year. Barbara Meggetto, president of Legambiente Lombardia, says that while industrial activity and livestock farming in the region affect air quality, Mantua's strong results in other areas offset these weaknesses. The city's current status follows a decade of local efforts to reduce car traffic and remediate heavy-metal pollution from a former petrochemical plant.