«We are trying to remain standing in every way, despite this construction site. For seven years public land has always paid, even handsomely, but now there are barriers and with the works we had to close for lunch also due to the dust. To survive we put three more tables and now we risk a fine that could cut off our legs. We're just asking for a little flexibility, given the situation." Marco Mameli, for all "Uncle Lino", is the owner of the restaurant Su Spuntinu in via Dante (opened on 12 November 2016), the other evening inspected by the agents of the Municipal Police who recognized an occupation respectful of public land. The activity risks a fine of a few thousand euros, but it is not yet known how much.
The inspection
«They destroyed the sidewalk», clarifies the owner, who is also a “social” character with over 20,000 followers on Instagram, «therefore we have been on a permanent construction site for about two months. Since the turnover has dropped sharply, by about 50% compared to last year, I have added these three tables. In June, July and August we make the turnover that allows us to survive in the rest of the year and this year we are much lower and we have 4 paychecks and 4 families who live off this work».
Despite the work on the sidewalk, the restaurant continues to operate only at dinner, trying to survive, given that it had to close at lunch, also due to dust. «The police came to fine us», Mameli underlines, «there are those who accuse us of blocking the passage, but we are only trying to save ourselves and not close. Others, with these works, would have already closed, but we are holding on, thanks to our regular customers, because with the building site no tourists get here».
The appeal to the mayor
Thanks to Istagram, Zio Lino made the intervention of the traffic police public and then got in touch with the mayor Paolo Truzzu. «I understand you», the mayor wrote to him, «but you must understand us. We are bombarded with inquiries from residents. Furthermore, to see the video, the passage was very narrow and dangerous for the pedestrians themselves. Did you have permission? When the work is finished you will also have space for the tables outside. In reality, the redevelopment intervention was also done with the traders in mind ». But Marco Mameli, calling himself an "exhausted merchant", reiterates the difficult conditions of his restaurant and of the others, involved in the works along Via Dante. «This year, in the middle of the season, we found ourselves with this construction site which made us lose our turnover sharply and put us in serious difficulty», he repeats, «to save myself, in addition to the ground that I already pay handsomely, I added three small tables more. The cops arrived immediately. I'm happy that, with grit you have set the city in motion to improve it and I'm not asking for help, the only thing I dream of is that you try to be a little softer and more tolerant traders who have always paid taxes. When the fine arrives, it will be so high as to put us in even more difficulty than we are ».
Since the beginning of the year, there have already been about thirty fines distributed by the agents of the Municipal Police for the excessive occupation of public land between the premises of piazza San Domenico, piazza Jenne and via Torino: the activities then came, from the Municipality , the suspension of the authorization to keep the tables outdoors. In many cases, however, the activities did not even have the extenuating factor of the construction site.