Two 'night stewards' will take to the streets of Milan's clubbing district this weekend, asking young revellers to watch what they drink.
Funded by two major alcohol producers, the stewards will patrol Corso Como, advertising their own brands but inviting youngsters to curb their overall consumption.
In addition to encouraging moderation and trying to tone down public drunkenness, the reps will also provide practical information on getting home safely, with details of cab companies and night buses.
''This is a genuinely useful initiative, which works by getting young people to involve other young people in healthy fun,'' commented Milan Youth Councillor Giovanni Terzi.
''It's fine to drink - it's even something of an art - provided you don't go overboard. I hope this initiative is replicated in other parts of the city''.
The night stewards will start their patrols this Friday and will be chatting to youngsters on Corso Como every weekend until October.
Alcohol consumption among young Italians has soared in recent years.
A recent government survey revealed that two thirds of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 15 drink on Saturday nights and a fifth of them get drunk - figures that would have been unthinkable as recently as a few years ago because of an Italian social taboo on public drunkenness.
More than 80% of teens between the ages of 16 and 18 drink on Saturday night and many of them are binge-drinkers.
The rise in drinking and the number of related fatalities has produced a flurry of action to tackle the problem over the last year.
Plans introduced under an alcohol prevention campaign include banning adverts that glamorise drinking on TV and in teenage publications.
Health warnings on beer, wine and spirits are also being implemented.
The most significant move in the government's fight against alcohol-related fatalities is a new drink-driving law.
Introduced as a temporary measure in August and made permanent in October, the law toughened penalties for drunk driving and introduced social work in hospitals treating road accident victims as an alternative punishment for offenders.
It also bans the sale of alcohol in nightclubs or bars after 2am
Ten percent of deaths between the ages of 13 and 24 are attributable to alcohol, many of them because of widespread post-disco drunk-driving, producing the media tag Saturday Night Massacre.
More than 44% of all night-time road accidents occur on a Friday or a Saturday night, while drivers aged between 16 and 29 account for nearly a third of all road fatalities.
