Drinking Age
 

Hello everyone,<BR><BR>I am taking my college age sister to Italy in a few weeks. We are going to Rome, Florence and Venice. We would like to enjoy some of the nightlife there. Does anyone know what the required age is to enter bars and nightclubs? Is there one?

The drinking age in Europe is universally 18, so she'll be OK to get in to the clubs etc.

I am not sure but I don't think there is <BR>a required age. Anyway, they never asked me or my friends any IDs when we were teenegers neither in bars, pubs or nightclubs, and I never heard that to happen. Only if your sister looks like a child she may find some problems. In Italy teens don't have the culture of drinking super alcohols or getting drunk, like it is often the case in nothern countries. Wine is almost the only alcohol and it is more perceived as a meal drink, or an evening appetizer. Most of them will drink very light at night (even when they try a coktail, it will probably be the only one for the all night) or stick to cokes or similar drinks. Therefore people are quite tollerants with teens enjoying their nightlife.

Keith: in many European countries the official drinking age is 16, but younger people usually have no problem purchasing beer or wine. I sure bought and drank beer before my 16th birthday! I have never seen anyone use an ID to purchase alcohol or get into a bar in any West/Central/South European country.

I've seen very young children (8-9) buying wine in grocery stores, obviously for dinner.