ROME, LAZIO, ITALY - 2018/08/09: People in Piazza Tulissa during the nightlife in the Trastevere ... [+]
The Eternal City will ban weekend nightlife in its most lively picturesque districts in an attempt to stop COVID contagion as Italy faces a scary resurgence of cases.
The ‘movida’, as Italians call their wild late-night partying, will hopefully be going on a break during the two key days of the week - Saturdays and Sundays - when young people coming from nearby cities and country areas flood into the capital for some fun.
Mayor Virginia Raggi is determined to shut access to several top piazzas of the historical center by imposing a curfew starting at 9 p.m., in an attempt to stop overcrowding. The Latium region authorities have already implemented a night curfew from midnight to 5 a.m.
According to local reports, starting this weekend iconic spots where tourists and students prone to binge drinking hang-out till dawn will be completely off-limits, cordonned-off and patrolled by policemen.
Campo de Fiori with the statue of Giordano Bruno, at night, Rome, Lazio, Italy
Among the forbidden areas is Piazza Campo di Fiori featuring the statue of philosopher Giordano Bruno, burnt at the stake in 1600 as an heretic. The piazza during daytime hosts a traditional farmer market but at night it is often crowded by noisy squads of heavy drinkers who tend to leave empty bottles on the cobblestones and at the feet of Bruno’s statue.
More weekend access bans include popular streets in the Bohemian Monti district close to the Coliseum, and Piazza Trilussa, another iconic city nightlife hotspot in the buzzy Trastevere neighborhood overlooking the Tiber River, where also druggies occasionally meet late at night on the ancient fountain steps leaving behind syringes.
The mayor’s move follows the increasing overcrowding of Roman piazzas, swarming mainly with young people not wearing a mask nor keeping at a safe distance.
The capital’s nightlife ban will likely run until November 13 but could be further extended.
Fines for transgressors are expected to range between €400 and €1,000.
Other cities, including Turin, have already implemented curfews and nightlife restrictions to contain COVID contagion.
Italy is experiencing a worrying second wave of the pandemic with roughly 10,000 new cases each day and a rising number of deceased, as fears mount of a new lockdown.
