Milan bans ice cream after midnight

[Celerity]

Last edited Mon Apr 22, 2024, 07:29 AM - Edit history (1)

Fears over late-night revellers causing excessive noise are leading to the city council’s clampdown on takeaway food and drink

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/milan-bans-ice-cream-after-midnight-q0qkj7hfb

https://archive.ph/MjEMl



Milan is poised to ban sales of ice creams after midnight in ongoing efforts to clamp down on nighttime revellers sowing havoc on the streets of Italy’s financial capital. The new rules devised by the city council will ban the sale of takeaway drinks and food, including pizza and ice cream, in 12 of Milan’s liveliest districts. “We are seeking a balance between sociality and entertainment, the peace and health of the residents and the free economic activity of traders and entrepreneurs,” Marco Granelli, the deputy mayor responsible for security, wrote on Facebook.

Home to Italy’s banking and technology sectors as well as the country’s stock exchange, Milan has a reputation for its tireless workforce and is credited with inventing Italy’s after-work aperitivo. According to a 2023 study by the market research company NIQ, the city is home to nearly 12,500 bars and restaurants. Now the council is determined to clamp down on drinkers gathering on the city’s streets after hours. “A sizable segment of the population is complaining about excessive noise,” Giuseppe Sala, the mayor, told reporters last month. “In my role I have to listen to all citizens, including those who have to work and those who want to do their business.”

The measure, which is due to come into force on May 7 and will run until early November, will apply to areas including Navigli, where crowds gather outside bars lining two narrow canals, and Paolo Sarpi, or Chinatown, which is home to a growing number of edgy fusion cocktail bars. While the new regulation applies to all kinds of takeaway food, critics have particularly rallied behind gelaterias, which are accustomed to serving late-night customers as an inherent part of Italian culture. The right-wing newspaper Il Giornale claimed Sala had “declared war on ice cream”.



Business representatives have criticised the plans. “This initiative does not solve the problem,” Lino Stoppani, president of the Italian federation of public and tourist operators, told newspaper Il Messaggero. He added that the measure would “damage businesses that generate wealth”. The ban will apply to takeaways from midnight every day and to outdoor tables from 12.30am on weekdays and from 1.30am on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Citizens and private and public stakeholders have until early May to file suggested changes to the plan. Milan backtracked on plans to introduce a similar ban in 2013, when Giuliano Pisapia, the mayor at the time, claimed there had been a “misunderstanding”. “Milanese residents can continue to freely enjoy an ice cream after midnight,” he said at the time.

snip

[riversedge]

1. My firtst thought was STUPID!

[malthaussen]

2. They have got to be out of their minds. n/t

[ProfessorGAC]

3. Midnight Seems Early

I could see, maybe, 2am. But, midnight seems awfully soon in the night.
BTW: I've stood in that exact spot where the second picture was taken. A few times.