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| Florence Nightlife |
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A look at some of the more particular features of Florence's nocturnal scene.
Florence has a peculiar nightlife scene which is a mix of different types of establishment providing entertainment and refreshment for the people. Here were a few things that I found surprising when I first moved here:
Aperitivi This is the delightful concept of having a drink and eating a little bit before dinner. You pay for a drink (usually at a slightly higher price) and you have access to a free buffet. The buffet will be of varying quality depending on the bar, but still, if you have no qualms shamelessly exploiting a free buffet, you can make out like a bandit. It was a phenomenon that was alien to me and I had to get my Italian friends to repeat the concept a few times so that I could get my head round it. “Hold on, you pay for a drink and they give you food for free?” “Yes.” “So...free food? In a pub?” “Yes Dom, free food.” “But why?” “To encourage people to come to the bar.” “But the bar already sells beer.” “Yes, but Italian people want something more when they go out.” “.......” For a list of aperitivi in Florence, check the moflo calendar.
Licensing Laws When I came here the licensing laws were lax in their restrictions and even more so in their enforcement. Places stopped serving when they wanted to close and you could find somewhere to have a beer at pretty much any time of day and night. This, however, changed in late 2007. It is now illegal for any licensed premises to serve alcohol to the public after 2am. This law applies to bars, nightclubs, private clubs, casinos – everyone. Don't ask me why this happened as I still have not been offered a reasonable and sensible defence of the change (ostensibly it was to curb drink driving) but happen it did and we've all just got to live with it. For more information about current licensing restrictions:
Nightclub drinks cards What on earth is that all about? The idea is simple in its conception yet remarkably inconvenient it is execution. You can enter a club that uses this system for free. On you way in they give you a card which is required for buying drinks. When you want to leave, you line up and pay for the total amount due on your card – drinks, cloakroom, cover charge etc. Not so stupid? Maybe, but there are a few recurrent problems. People lose their card and are then required to pay the total amount payable – normally around €60-70. Trusting people who are there to drink and dance not to lose a flimsy card might not seem like a big ask, but why ask at all? It greatly increases the amount of time it takes to leave the club without noticeably reducing the time it takes to enter or get a drink. If you need to leave in a hurry and its anywhere near late on in the night, forget about it, you have to wait in line (or the local equivalent) no matter what. It encourages people to drink or at least spend beyond their means. You might normally buy one round of drinks on your card if you are caught short of cash, but a lack of money in your pocket general discourages drinking. This system allows you to run a tab and pay for however many rounds in one go.
Private Clubs Several night spots around Florence require a Tessera or membership card to get in. These are usually Associazione Culturale, or cultural associations of which you have to be a registered member to use the facilities, i.e. the bar. The reason for this is subtle and, if I may, very Italian. It is a kind of loophole that allows premises to licensed by the association of which they are a part, rather than through the usual channels. Anyway, you really do need a membership card to enter these places so its worth getting one straight away. The most common is the AICS (Associazione Italiana Cultura e Sport) but some are a part of ACSI and ACI. There is usually a charge for the card as it costs the club to register new members. Membership should come with some kind of drink offer anyway.
NOTE: When you sign up, make sure you get a proper tessera – not a membership card for the club itself, as this will not get you into other private clubs. |
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