ALCOHOL CURFEW STANDS FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE: THE NEW LAW THAT PROHIBITS ALCOHOL SALES IN PUBLIC AFTER 2 AM WILL STAY IN EFFECT FOR THE HOLDAYS AS WELL. BORNIGIA (PIPER): “AFTER TWO, YOU CAN MAKE TOASTS ONLY WITH COCA COLA, BUT AT PRIVATE PARTIES…”

When the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve hurry up and make your toasts if you’re in Italy because there will be just two hours remaining to drink up. After 2 AM all public places will stop selling all alcoholic beverages, even Champagne. WineNews’ web site warns that, for Italians who do decide to celebrate New Year’s Eve in a public place, the 2 AM “alcohol curfew” will stand firm.

This is in accordance with article 6 of the road safety law N. 160/2007 (that went into effect in October), which states: “All owners and managers of places that run, in whatever manner and at whatever time, shows or other forms of entertainment together with the activity of alcoholic beverage sales, must interrupt the sales of alcoholic beverages by 2 AM”.

Though it is important to guarantee safety on the roads and to combat the problem of alcohol abuse, there are many who disagree with this “prohibitionist” approach. Giancarlo Bornigia, the owner of Piper and Gilda, two of the most famous discos in Rome (frequented by many VIP’s), is a cornerstone of Italian night life, a sector he has been working in since the 1960’s: “This law favors abuse” – affirmed Bornigia – “the ban on selling alcohol, in fact, targets only those places that have liquor licenses, while at illegal parties the drinking will go on as before. Not to mention at bars and supermarkets where alcohol can be sold until all hours of the night. At this rate, we will be forced to close down and lay off workers”.

Ottavio Cagiano, the director of Federvini, explained: “This law, created in the heat of particular emotions due to tragic events of the time, was possibly not thought through with enough attention: the consequence is that we are now faced with difficult days like New Year’s Eve, in which it is, to say the least, strange to imagine drastically interrupting toasts at a pre-established time: I imagine that people will be pushed to order before two new drinks in fear of remaining with an empty glass; on the other hand, there is a situation throughout the year in which youth leave alcohol in their cars or bottles outside of venues, not to mention the phenomenon of street vendors selling alcohol, which is very difficult to control”.

Attention must obviously be made to getting behind the wheel after New Year’s celebrations. On the basis of the same law, those who are caught driving under the influence of alcohol will receive very high fines, and in some cases may even be arrested. It is enough to pass the limit by 0.5 grams of alcohol per liter of blood to risk receiving a fine of between 500 and 2,000 euros. The law also imposes a display at the entrance, inside, and at the exit of locales that lists the level of alcohol in cubic centimeters in the most commonly consumed drinks, with risk of closure from between 7 to 30 days if they do not abide.