A Snapshot Of Italy's Best Nightlife Destinations
The history of the Italian clubbing scene dates back to the early '80s with Italo disco. It is inextricably linked with a few big clubs that reached great success with people like David Mancuso and Larry Heard behind the turntables. Then the '90s arrived and Rome became the new mecca for Italian ravers, with never-ending parties and techno prophets such as Aphex Twin, Jeff Mills and a very young Richie Hawtin.
Every large Italian city has at least one leading club that embodies the tradition of the local clubbing scene, its evolution and its lifestyle. Nonetheless, in each town there are different trends and particular musical paths. Let’s go deeper and cross the threshold of the best clubs in Italy!
Tenax – Florence
The most famous club in Italy and celebrates its thirtieth season this year. Launched by a group of young entrepreneurs in 1981, it immediately stood out as a national trendsetter. Special attention has always been dedicated to the sound system and the animation at their parties. The club can hold 2000 people and it’s a rendezvous of every kind of artist: from New Order to Radiohead, from Spandau Ballet to Air, from David Mancuso to Daft Punk and the most acclaimed international DJs, the list of musicians who played at Tenax is endless. Tenax is the only Italian club exported abroad: Tenax Parties have been hosted in Japan, Miami, London and Berlin.
Brancaleone – Rome
Born as an occupied building and developed as a social center, Brancaleone has been running memorable parties since 1990, offering a diverse selection of dance music and cultural events. The venue has three floors and many rooms of different dimensions. While hundreds of young people are going wild in the darkness of the dancefloor, you might watch a movie in the tiny cinema theatre on the second floor, or taste some Frascati in the wine bar.Don’t miss the annual events with Laurent Garnier, Jeff Mills and the local hero Donato Dozzy.
Cocoricò – Riccione
Cocoricò is the first popular discotheque in the countryside, opened in 1994 in Riccione, a turistic town on the Italian East coast. Its giant structure can hold 6000 people; equipped with a powerful Funktion One sound system, the console is covered by a majestic lead wall and every year they restyle the whole club. Especially in the summer season, you may feel like you are at Space Ibiza: Deadmau5, Tiësto, Richie Hawtin, Sven Väth, Fatboy Slim among the headliners of the schedule. Cocoricò’s main feature is a huge glass pyramid located over the main room. Try to be there at dawn.
Club To Club – Turin
If every large city in Italy has its own historic nightclub, Turin is the exception to the rule. The so-called Italian Motor City has dozens of small properties profoundly active in the local underground scene. Once every year, though, the cultural association Xplosiva runs one of the most appreciated electronic music festivals in the world: Club To Club. Always focused on new sounds, the festival celebrates in November its eleventh edition featuring artist such as Modeselektor, Ramadanman, Caribou and the exclusive showcases of Raster Noton and Hyperdub. In June, Xplosiva launched a special edition of Club To Club in Istanbul.
Moxa – Mantua
Moxa is a recent addition. In just four years it has been able to carve out its own niche in the Italian clubbing scene. An adult audience, house music and a cool environment are the keywords of Moxa. Body & Soul, Kenny Carpenter and Moodymann are only few of the names that you may enjoy in this restaurant/club.
