Its leaders Milan are accused of conducting war on… ice cream in their bid to combat the “wild nightlife” in the northern Italian city.
THE Marco Granelli, Milan’s deputy mayor of public security, recently announced a proposal to ban takeaway sales after midnight. The measure concerns the popular districts of the city.
Also, bars and restaurants they should close their outdoor areas until 00:30 on weekdays and 01:30 on weekends.
The ban is expected to apply to 12 regionsincluding the central districts of Brera and Ticinese, as well as the Darsena, Arco della Pace and Lazzaretto, along with the busy Corso Como and Corso Garibaldi avenues.
Hopes are expressed that in this way, the streets will be empty at night and the locals will find peace. If the measure comes into force, it will be valid from next month until November.
Reactions to the “ice cream war”
The businessmen’s reactions are strong and they emphasize that a tradition is being lost, not only of tourists but also of permanent residents.
“What does the average Italian family do in the summer? After dinner, he goes for a walk and gets an ice cream,” he told the Observer Marco Barbierisecretary general of Confcommercio, the Italian retailers’ association.
“It’s a classic tradition, so it’s clear that if you interfere with these kinds of cultural habits, people are not going to be happy,” he observed.
“You think a 25-year-old is going to go home at midnight just because he can’t get something to eat? What about tourists who want to eat an ice cream after midnight? Has this government realized what it is doing?’ he wondered.
THE mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, told reporters: “I would ask Barbieri to come to my office for a few hours because I have hundreds of reports from residents asking to be able to sleep better at night. (…) it is not a whim but a need of many (…) we do not change the rules of the universe but impose some limits”.
THE Lino Stopani, president of Fipe, an association for the hospitality sector, told Il Messaggero newspaper: “The problem with nightlife is there, but this rule will only create damage for businesses.”
The mayor, however, clarified that the plan has not been finalized and is open to discussions regarding the ice cream. “I think we’ll make it,” he said.
The past does not create optimism for the approval of the measure as a similar wave of discontent existed in Milan and when officials tried to pass it in 2013. After weeks of intense debate and protests, organized by the movement Occupy Gelatothe then mayor, Giuliano Pisapia, was forced to back down and admit that he had made a mistake.
“People can eat ice cream day and night, wherever they wanthe had said then.
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