New rules for restaurants

Noting a lack of guidelines for the 300 restaurants and cafes in Florence that have outdoor seating, the city administration ran a public competition to collect ideas for improving the look and functionality of sidewalk terraces in the historic centre. Local officials recently announced that they have selected six ‘winning’ ideas: ‘It was impossible to select one winner because it was impossible to select just one style of outdoor seating that fits all of the requirements,’ said vice mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella. The new guidelines for sidewalk terraces, which are expected to cost some 30,000 euro each, will be announced by the end of February, and cafe and restaurant owners will have until November to install the new structures. Although the styles will vary, all outdoor eating areas will have certain features: refuse bins, free Internet wi-fi access for clients, and proper equipment for children.