16 Years Old
You may be surprised to know that the legal age of drinking in Italy is 16 years old. This is younger than the lawful age of drinking in many countries. Furthermore, there is no law against teens under 16 drinking when they are with their parents as it is part of the Italian culture. Contrary to Americans, Italians do not commonly get severely intoxicated in public as it is considered shameful in the Italian culture.
However, if restaurant owners serve alcoholic beverages to those under the age of 16 is a criminal offense and is punished with prison for up to one year. Although you can legally drink at 16 years old in Italy, you cannot purchase alchohol until you are 18.
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