"Sorry, but I'm in a hurry, we're leaving because parking is too expensive." This is said by a woman in her forties, too angry to stop and talk, who gets back into her white Mini and speeds off. The scene is Poetto, sixth stop, Ippodromo parking lots.
The places
Many are tempted by the many empty seats in the blue lines. Then, once they reach the machine where they insert coins to get the ticket, their expressions change, and their faces take on grimaces that are halfway between surprised and indignant.
Because the rates are 5 euros for three hours of parking, 9 euros for six hours, while the full day of ten hours costs 14. There are those who knew and do not come, those who did not know, see the prices and leave. And those who choose to pay anyway, but are unlikely to do so again.
"We will never return," Romina Caratzu and Antonio Scalas, who arrived from Assemini, declared. "We paid 5 euros to stay a couple of hours, we spend this money in Chia which objectively is something else."
The tourists
A bitter surprise for Sardinians as much as for tourists. "We have just been to Puglia where we paid 8 euros for the whole day", says Vincenzo Giordano, of Sardinian parents but settled in London, who came in the company of friends. Piero Vitali comes from Bergamo, and since it is his first day at the seaside, he tries to take it philosophically: "The whole day is really expensive, but I paid 5 euros for three hours and let's say it's okay, we are still at the seaside".
The presences
Rates that are also reflected in the presence on the beach. "We noticed that there are much fewer people, after all you can guess it from all these empty parking lots", notes Claudia Picci, who for the half day spent even more than the others, "almost 10 euros, because I paid from the app and the cost of the service is 90 cents".
David Lao
