Midnight cravings will now have to wait until morning.
From tourist taxes to driving restrictions to removing bus routes from maps, new legislations are attempting to pause relentless tourism activists in destinations overwhelmed by crowds. Milan is joining in the ranks with its battle cry to quiet tourist noise: a proposed ban on late-night takeout deliveries, which has outraged ice cream lovers.
The city’s deputy mayor for public security, Marco Granelli, has proposed a ban on the sale of takeaway food after midnight in 12 areas, including the nightlife districts. This move comes as a measure to control noise in the wee hours of the morning.
Locals and tourists won’t be allowed to buy to-go food from bars and restaurants, stalls, shops, and vending machines after midnight on weekdays and 1.30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. If the proposal is approved, it will go into effect next month and will be effective until November 19. The city hopes that this will help disperse the crowds from popular areas and reduce noise levels.
The residents and businesses are, however, not in favor of this measure to control overtourism. Although all restaurants and bars are included in this, the lack of ice cream after midnight is particularly causing a stink.
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Milan has an established gelato and ice cream culture. Gathering for a late-night frozen treat is a local custom. “What does the average Italian family do in the summer? 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,” Marco Barbieri, secretary general for the Milan unit of Confcommercio, told the Observer.
Locals don’t believe this measure will solve noise pollution, and businesses worry about their bottom line. Meanwhile, Milan’s mayor Giuseppe Sala told reporters that residents ask to be able to sleep better at night. “I cannot avoid addressing this issue, it is not a quirk but a need of many… we are not changing the rules of the universe but imposing very slight limits.”
The mayor also said that the idea of a 24-hour city doesn’t work for them any longer. But they’re open to talking about the impact on ice cream parlors in particular.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Milan has hit the sweet nerve of people. In 2013, the local council banned people from eating ice cream in public after midnight in four parts of the city. Again, the idea was to reduce noise levels so locals could sleep at night in peace. People could only eat inside ice cream parlors, and those who flouted the rule were fined. However this move generated a wave of backlash from consumers and businesses. There were protests for a week by people participating in the “Occupy Gelato” initiative and then Mayor Giuliano Pisapia took it back, saying, “I love ice cream like crazy, both day and night.”