1/14/2010 by Patrizia Notarnicola Italy
Rome declares war on the pub crawl.The mayor Alemanno condemned the 'alcoholic tour' so loved by expats and tourists, especially young Americans, Australians and British. But why? And, above all, what’s the pub crawl? The custom is typical Anglo-Saxon. The goal is drinking alcohol in each pub visited (typically a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 18 pubs!). Participants are attracted by the idea of meeting other people and going to a new nightclub. The practice has moved from Britain to other European cities. Examples of Pub Crawl abroad are the Funkyparis, the Berlin Pub Crawl and the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl with actors who recite passages of Joyce, Beckett and Behan. Now in Rome the pub crawl is 'fashionable'. A steward is organizing the tour in pubs, bringing up to a hundred boys, often minors, and leads them to drink. One of the most famous is the Piazza di Spagna, on the foot of the stairway. 'Without a pub crawl the night life in Rome is boring' write the organizers at one of the site’s that advertise the initiative. But according to the administration of Rome, the alcoholic tour is not entertainment. Instead, it threatens the health and safety of young people. Last August, an Australian boy died falling drunk from one of the embankments of the Tiber.Often the alcohol served is poor quality and the biggest detriment to health. In late November, police closed 33 nightclubs for violation of the rules on the sale and consumption of alcohol and hygiene, 10 of these were part of the pub crawl network. Moreover, some organizers earned on a night up to 5000 euros "in nero", without declaration to the tax.The Pub Crawl costs 20 euros, part of which is for the organizer and part of which goes to the pub. The price includes a t-shirt, alcohol at will, discounts in bars, free admission to a disco and food. Four tours were stopped in the areas near to Piazza di Spagna, Colosseum, Piazza Navona and Termini train station. But many others are active and busy. And you, what do you think? Is the pub crawl a bit of simple harmless fun or something stupid that harms health? Do you have pub crawls from where you are from? What happens in your country?
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NEWS
1/14/2010
1/14/2010
