It wasn't just a local shop, but a social hub that fostered a deep sense of humanity and fostered community spirit. After over a hundred years of uninterrupted business, the Scanu family's historic grocery store finally closes its doors on New Year's Eve.
Giannetto, the newest owner, comments: "I'm so sorry, but the time has come. It will be strange after so many years to go shopping elsewhere."
It's not just a business closing, it's also the end of a century of history, work, and relationships that have shaped the life of the neighborhood and the entire town, and of entire generations. Now it's looking for potential buyers to take over, but it will no longer be the shop that has shaped community life for over a century.
Founded in the late 19th century by Pietro Ortu and his wife Imbenia Marras, it passed into the hands of their nephew Giovanni Congiu in 1926, a young orphan who would later become Giannetto's godfather. That same year, Ferruccio Scanu, Giannetto's father, was hired as an apprentice in Congiu's shop, learning and developing the trade of a merchant. At the time, everything was sold: food, household goods, and colonial items, even petroleum, pitch and rock alum, dyes, and solvents. Giannetto still jealously guards weights, containers, scales, and other historic tools. In 1961, upon the death of Congiu—who would later leave all his assets to the Milis Infant School with the stipulation that it would establish an orphanage—Ferruccio took over the reins of the shop, guiding his young son Giannetto, who grew up in that atmosphere, weighing the goods and grains on the two-pan scales and arranging them for sale.
The store has survived profound eras and transformations: two world wars, the economic boom, changing consumer habits, and the advent of large-scale retail trade. Always faithful to its identity, it has continued to be a point of reference for the Milesi family's daily shopping, based on authentic products, human relationships, and mutual trust.
Behind the counter, Giannetto and his wife Maria Loi ran the business with dedication, commitment, and even sacrifice. For this, they received several awards, including "Master of Commerce" in 2012 for 57 years of business, awarded by Confcommercio. For many customers, it wasn't just a place to buy bread, cheese, or cured meats, but a place to meet, share stories, and engage in small, everyday gestures that gave meaning to the community. Many customers "used the opportunity to confide in one another and vent about life's difficulties," Giannetto recalls.
The decision to close comes with regret but also with awareness.
Since the 1990s, we have been associated with large-scale retail trade, which has supported us through market changes and the transition from the lira to the euro. A centuries-old history with many anecdotes, including: "An elderly lady, still unused to the new euro currency, when paying for her groceries replied, ' E in dinai cantu faidi? ', preferring to pay in lira," recalls Giannetto with a smile.
Closing was a difficult but inevitable decision: "It was an important part of our lives, but times have changed, and we can no longer continue. However, the shop will continue, undergoing inevitable changes and under new management," explains Giannetto.
With the shop's closure, a piece of local history is gone, a symbol of a way of doing business based on proximity and human connection. What remains, however, is the memory of over a hundred years of honest work and a legacy of values that will live on in the memories of those who, at least once, have crossed its threshold.