Rome says ‘no’ to party – Bans drinking in public this summer

Following up the ban on eating and drinking near the famous fountains, Rome has now banned drinking in public after dark. So no more pairing Italian pizzas with alcohol in the streets. Yeah, I know, it’s heart-breaking.

This ban comes in as a step to curb the anti-social behavior in the public, keeping tourists’ best interest at heart during the peak summer season. How convenient to blame it on the tourists!

We don’t want the Roman summer evenings to be ruined by episodes linked to excessive consumption of alcohol. – Rome’s Mayor Virginia Raggi said in a statement.

Although similar bans have been put up by Rome in the past, this ban is way tougher than the rest. The new rule forbids the sale and consumption of alcohol in the streets and public transports from 10 pm until 7 am in 14 of the city’s municipalities. While consuming alcohol from glass containers is banned from 10 pm, drinking out of any form of containers from the stroke of midnight is completely off-limits.

Further, alcohol sales after 10 pm are also banned and for the places that serve alcohol indoors in the night, the deadline is 2 am. Individuals breaking the law will be fined €150 ( $171) and for business, the fine is €280 ($320) which seems pretty serious. During the first week of the ban, the police had carried out over 500 checks across the city and around 37 people were fined, on Saturday alone.

If you think you can use not knowing Italian as a way to get away from the fine, then you are in for a big surprise. The new rule in addition to being print in Italian will also be displayed in four other languages: English, Spanish, French, and German. So, no chance there. But, if you really want to party in the midnight right in the streets of Paris, then you can head to Ottavia. The suburb is unaffected by the ban and is apparently where the Mayor resides. Freaky Coincidence!

Following the news on the ban, the locals have taken to Twitter to express their anger by posting pictures of them getting drunk in the public.

But, this is not the first time, a European city has banned drinking in public. Last month, Croatia imposed a ban on public drinking in Hvar with a potential fine of €700 ($800). And don’t even get started on the Ibiza prohibition last year, which banned drinking anything in public, including water.

Luckily, the alcohol ban in Rome is temporary until October. But it will be interesting to see if the ban poses a threat to the nightlife and tourism in Rome.

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Our take? We say, put the alcohol ban to sleep and the soak in the scenic beauty of Italy with A Travel Guide to Italy. On the other hand, if you really wanna party, plan a trip to any other destination in Europe.