https://web.archive.org/web/20160226231719/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/12175002/Italian-city-to-limit-ethnic-eateries-after-explosion-in-kebab-shops.html
Italian city passes ruling limiting the number of "ethnic food" restaurants in the historic centre, saying it is concerned about protecting its cultural and culinary heritage in the wake of a boom in kebab shops.
The northern Italian city famed for its slowly simmered red-wine risotto is fed up with kebabs and fried fast food.
A ruling came into effect in the city of Verona this week prohibiting the openings of any new restaurants offering mostly "ethnic" or deep-fried food.
“Thanks to this provision there will be no more openings of establishments that sell food prepared in a way that could impact the decorum of our city,” said Verona Mayor Flavio Tosi, who was elected as an independent after breaking from the far-right Northern League party he adhered to for years.
“This protects not only our historic and architectural patrimony of the city centre, but also the tradition of typical culture of the Verona territory.”
In the land of creamy cheese-smothered polenta and slow-cooked duck ragu, Middle Eastern kebabs, Greek gyros and take-away deep fried food typical of southern Italy are the unwelcome newcomers, an apparent culinary stain on the Verona’s cultural heritage.
Shakespeare set the story of star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet here in this quaint and romantic city, which boasts a stunning Roman amphitheater and 2,000 years of history, hence its designation on the UNESCO World Heritage List.