In any city, the late-night stand serving french fries or kebabs will often attract a large and boisterous crowd.
When most other restaurants have already shut their doors for the night, the ones serving late-night food (and particularly the kind of greasy, filling food one craves after a night of drinking) are often a meeting spot for not just snacking but socializing and stretching out the time before heading home.
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Over in Italy, the municipality of Milan has become frustrated with the noise (and complaints from local residents) this creates and is a proposing a local law in which all takeout food would be banned after 12:00 a.m. on weekdays. Outdoor dining would also be required to stop at 12:30 a.m. on weekdays and 1:30 a.m. on weekends.
An Italian police officer directs traffic in Milan.
Politicians want a city for ‘young and less young people to stay together’
The rule, which has been proposed to the city council for consideration, would affect 12 central districts and is positioned as “protecting the tranquility” of local residents. The ban would begin in May and stay in effect until the busy tourist period is over in November.
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“The objective is to find a balance between sociability and entertainment, tranquility and health of residents,” Milan’s Deputy Mayor for Security Marco Granelli announced on Facebook (META) . “We believe in a lively city, where young and less young people have spaces to stay together.”
The affected districts in Milan include ones like Brera (one of the most popular among tourists as it is close to the Cathedral and includes many of Italy’s famous fashion houses), Lazzaretto, Melzo, Sarpi and Corso Como.
‘Public space in some areas affected by the nightlife’
“The municipal administration has started the process that will allow the adoption of a union ordinance aimed at protecting the tranquility and rest of residents and guaranteeing the use, by all, of the public space in some areas affected by the nightlife,” the City of Milan posted on its website.
Local authorities have tried to pass similar bans several times over the last decade and, each time, ran into vocal opposition from other locals who argue that going out late is a large part of Italian culture (many families traditionally go out to eat dinner around 8 or 9 p.m. in the summer while some young people only go out around 10 or 11 p.m.)
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In 2013, some Milan residents began a counter-campaign called “Occupy Gelato” after the Occupy Wall Street that took place a year earlier after the then-mayor of Milan tried to pass a similar law restricting restaurant hours. But as Italy has been dealing with a burst of tourism post-pandemic, the noise created from late-night partying seems to have tipped the scales for many local residents.
“What does the average Italian family do in the summer?” Marco Barbieri, secretary general for the Milan unit of a local organization representing shop and restaurant owners, told a local news outlet. “They go for a stroll after dinner and get an ice cream. It’s a classic tradition and so it’s clear that if you interfere with this type of cultural habit, people won’t be happy.”
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