It has always been an institution of the fish trade in Campidano. The Serra fish shop in via Garibaldi, in Guspini, has closed after almost sixty years of activity. Opened in 1964, it represented a point of reference for the residents of the entire area. Efisina Aramu, now eighty-seven, had managed the shop together with her daughter Gianna Serra, sixty, and was, until a few days ago, the oldest trader in the town. The fishmonger was renowned for its commitment to supplying quality fresh fish, with a predilection for fish from the Mediterranean, in line with an ecological vision.
History
Efisina, with her family originally from Terralba, managed a hotel in Marceddì, a hamlet of Terralba 35 kilometers from Guspini. With her husband, the Guspino native Virgilio Serra, now deceased, in the early 1960s she had formed a cooperative with a group of fishermen from the village of Marceddì, with the aim of collecting the local catch to distribute it in the surrounding villages. Hence the opening of the historic fish market in via Garibaldi in Guspini, which offered the opportunity to taste the delicious seafood of Oristano. The sale of fresh fish was the strong point of their business, supported by a market philosophy aimed at «offering the products that the sea makes available to us in every season of the year, fundamental for respecting nature and preserving the balance of marine ecosystems", explains Efisina Aramu. His daughter Gianna agrees: «About 80 percent of the fish came from small fishing boats, helping to support the local economy. Only the remaining part was purchased wholesale, but we preferred Mediterranean fish as a sign of our commitment to local fishermen."
The closure
The decision to close was not at all easy. Efisina has been ill lately and business wasn't going as well as in the past, and the risk of losing out was growing. “This situation made us reflect,” admit the two women. «I lived the experience of the fish market intensely with my mother, but now I have to be close to her more. As we got older, work was becoming too burdensome, and we risked accumulating debts", says Gianna. Efisina responded with a romantic note: «In my entire life I have never wanted to do another job. Our customers have also given us a lot from an emotional point of view. Guspini, once rich in commercial opportunities, saw its prospects decline after the closure of the mines and the arrival of the large supermarkets. We have never given up, but now it's time to rest." The shop was their home for decades, and within those walls the women found comfort, even after a serious loss: «After the passing of my son it was incredibly difficult to move forward. For a mother, that is the worst suffering but working in the fish shop with my daughter Gianna helped both of us, in part, to endure this tragedy."
The future
The family will continue to trade fish with the third generation taking over. «My brother and I grew up between Guspini and Marceddì, contributing to the family business. We too have formed families and our children manage the shops opened in Terralba and Mogoro", says Gianna. «They keep alive the teaching and dedication to the customer transmitted by our parents since we were children».
Giovanni G. Scanu
