Fast Food Moves South, and Naples Counts the Tables

International fast food chains are expanding across Italy faster than at any time since they first arrived in the country, and the growth is increasingly turning toward the south, according to an analysis published by The Local Italy. The outlet reports the spread in maps, showing a network that has moved well beyond the northern cities where it was once concentrated.

The shift matters in a country that has built a large part of its global reputation on the idea that it eats slowly, seasonally and locally. The same foreign press that sells Italy abroad through pizza, pasta and market produce now also charts the counter-movement: standardized menus, drive-throughs and delivery apps reaching smaller centres.