Seven posh cafés on the Piazza
Navona remained closed in protest Tuesday after a city ordinance
eliminated their sidewalk tables.
The renowned Tre Scalini ice cream parlour adjacent to the
huge Bernini fountain in the centre of the square closed Monday
after a local court confirmed a new ordinance restricting the
number of tables on the square, meaning that Scalini's
permission to seat customers outside was revoked together with
that of the nearby bar Bernini.
Other dolce-vita style watering holes that closed Tuesday
included the I Quattro Fiumi and the Caffè Nettuno.
White-hatted police officers with pistols on their belts
glared at café owners standing ready to confiscate tables if
necessary, but terrified waiters scurried to store the furniture
inside their establishments before lowering the shutters in
evident mourning for more lucrative summers.
In all only three bars remain open to satisfy the needs of
the hordes of tourists strolling the baroque square.
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