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Ozone (O₃) exposure at Italian background sites exceeds UN/ECE concentration-based critical levels (CLe_c), if expressed in terms of AOT40. Yet the occurrence of adverse effects of O₃ on forests and crops is controversial. Possible reasons include (i) ability of response indicators to provide an unbiased estimate of O₃ effects, (ii) setting of current CLe_c in terms of cut-off value and accumulation level, (iii) response functions adopted to infer a critical level, (iv) environmental limitation to O₃ uptake and (v) inherent characteristics of Mediterranean vegetation. In particular, the two latter points suggest that critical levels based on accumulated stomatal flux (CLe_f) can be a better predictor of O₃ risk than CLe_c. While this concept is largely acknowledged, a number of factors may limit its applicability for routine monitoring. This paper reviews levels, uptake and vegetation response to O₃ in Italy over recent years to discuss …