Empty corridors and a few open stalls break an almost unreal stillness. Just days before Christmas, the market on Via Cimarosa seems far removed from the ideal of a market as a place for meeting and socializing. "It's doing badly, worse than last year. Look at the condition: it's rundown, cold," baker Fabrizio Fais vents at the entrance. "It's hard to resist."
Today, nine businesses remain. In 2016, there were 22 , when the municipality decided to temporarily relocate them to allow for the renovation of the Via Mazzini market. This solution, which was supposed to be short-lived, instead ended up lasting nearly ten years, costing the municipality approximately €80,000 a year in rent. Meanwhile, the customer base has dwindled, businesses have closed one after another, and even those who remain fearful of their future.
Not even the approaching holidays are heating things up. "Maybe something will change in the last few days, but the price increases are holding back purchases," says Gianfranco Belvisi from one of the three fishmongers still open. The problem, however, is structural: "In ten years, we've lost so many customers. Now that they're moving, we risk losing even those few loyal ones."
In July, the nine operators of Via Cimarosa will have a space in the Via Costa market, a municipal facility currently largely empty. This move aims to eliminate the cost of rent, but will require maintenance and upgrades : the Municipality has awarded the design to engineer Gian Battista Masala for €40,814, while the overall cost of the operation is estimated at approximately €800,000, partially covered by a €500,000 loan.
The verdict on the benches remains bitter. "We should have thought about it sooner, instead of wasting money on rent," Fais observes. The council assures a "painless" transfer and has extended the contract for Via Cimarosa until June. Meanwhile, the timeframe for the historic market on Via Mazzini remains long: the project has entered the executive phase and is included in the Three-Year Plan with top priority, but the road is still uphill.
