A boring looking letter arrived from Leichhardt Council yesterday, slightly damp from the persistent rain over Sydney.

Addressed to the householder, I was tempted to toss it (read recycle…) but decided to have a glance.

Turns out it was a development application covering virtually every cafe, hotel and restaurant on Norton St asking for permission to stay open 24/7 during the World Cup between June 11 and July 11! Talk about add some fire to winter!

The Forum, Norton Plaza and Palace Cinema are all included in the application – along with all the most authentic of Italian cafes.

Forget the soccer, I can’t wait to head down the street at 3am for gelato, cappuccino, amatriciana and some good old-fashioned Italian revelry!

Stay tuned for a blogestrated, middle-of-the-night, Italian food rendezvous (whoops, French origin word slipped in….) PH