Italy: This city wants to ban gelato and pizza sales after midnight

Milan: Venturing down the cobbled back streets of Milan in search of a late-night gelato is an intrinsic part of Italian culture for many residents in the city. It is also a must-do for the millions of tourists who visit Italy’s fashion capital each year.

But a new law could put an end to this long-held tradition. Marco Granelli, the city’s deputy mayor for security, recently announced plans to ban the sale of takeaway food and drink after midnight to preserve the “tranquility” of 12 of the city’s busiest districts.

“Our objective is to seek a balance between sociability and entertainment and the peace and health of residents,” Grenelli posted on social media. He added: “We believe in a living city, where young and old people have spaces they can share together.”
The ban, which officials say is necessary to tackle excessive noise in residential areas, would also prevent establishments from serving food and drink in outside areas between the hours of 12:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. on weekdays, and 1:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. on weekends.

Critics say the ban goes against Italian culture and are calling for the law to be modified. If approved, the clampdown would come into force as early as next month and will last until November, after this year’s tourist season has wrapped up.

Milan’s gelaterias are known to be some of the best in the world. Italians passionately debate which gelateria is the best in town, according to Luca Finardi, the general manager of the Mandarin Oriental hotel in the city.

“We each have the ones we love the most,” he says. Brera, the city’s arts quarter, and Garibaldi, well-known for its high-end shopping outlets, are among the 12 districts in the city expected to be policed by the new rules.

Other districts include Nolo, Lazzaretto, Melzo, Isola, Sarpi, Cesariano, Arco della Pace, Corso Como-Gae Aulenti, Ticinese and Darsena-Navigli.

For some, the crackdown is a step too far. Marco Barbieri, secretary general for the Milan branch of the Italian retailers’ association, Confcommercio, has told CNN that the ban goes “against common sense.”
“If an Italian family goes out for a pizza and wants to go for a walk after and have a gelato, they will be fined under this ordinance,” he says.

He accepts that some residents are being disturbed by noise, but adds that there is room for compromise, such as keeping parks and other spaces open for longer.

“Milan has many areas that are perfect for the ‘movida’ (partying) that won’t disturb residents, they need to be opened later, not closed earlier,” he says.

Barbieri also thinks that midnight is too early for sales to be stopped. He says that most young people in Milan don’t even think about going out for dinner until after 10 p.m., especially in the heat of the summer.

The new proposal will likely be passed, Barbieri believes, but he hopes that this will be in a modified form. “We hope they remove gelato, water and pizza from the list. Leave the alcohol ban, but make it later in the evening,” he says.

The law change is not guaranteed, however. Similar plans for a clampdown were mooted by local authorities back in 2013, but had to be dropped after significant public backlash and the formation of a protest movement dubbed “Occupy Gelato.”

It’s not clear if the same level of opposition will be on show this time round. Residents have until next week to lodge their thoughts on the new proposal before the fate of the late-night gelato is decided for good.