It is with great relief and real serenity that traders were able to reopen their stalls in the covered market this Monday, November 18. After almost three months of complete closure to the public!
But, on site this Monday morning, the influx of the public was timid to say the least, even if, as the morning progressed, the aisles of the market gradually began to fill up. The announcement of the official reopening having been made on Thursday evening, the deadline was undoubtedly a little short for certain traders to reopen this Monday morning, in particular for fruit and vegetable sellers who are generally supplied on Tuesdays.
In any case, some happy expressions could be seen on the faces Monday morning, particularly on those of the traders who remained completely closed for almost three months.
For Riccardo Mansueto of the municipal fishmonger as for Antonella Auddino of the Il Pasticcione bakery and pastry shop, externalizing the activity was complicated and represented too heavy a financial investment, especially since on several occasions the reopening of the market seemed to be at risk. agenda then returned fifteen days later.
On the other hand, the brothers Alessio and Flavio Ritzu, charcutiers and cheese makers, were able to benefit from a point of sale on Rue de la République for a few weeks. The idea was above all to maintain even tenuous contact with their customers. But for them, this period of closure was nevertheless difficult to live with.
For all these traders, no financial assistance is planned but they can count on the municipality which has exempted them from the public property occupation tax as well as the household waste collection tax during this period of closure of the covered market .
A new phase of work at 300,000 euros
The few customers we met, like Corinne who arrived straight from neighboring France, learned of this reopening somewhat by chance, notably thanks to social networks.
From a security point of view, it is the municipal police who are responsible for supervising the opening and closing of the market while a fire prevention team is permanently present around the market, for at least least three months, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. or 5 p.m. depending on the day of the week.
Regarding the work carried out to date, the amount amounts to more than 300,000 euros, in particular for the total disinfection of the common areas, the upgrading of the technical room where the electric meters are located, the repair of the sidewalk which runs along the market on the rue de Rome side (via Roma), to name just a few…
Another phase of work, also amounting to 300,000 euros, is planned as soon as possible to bring emergency lighting up to standard and install a fire prevention system.
Thanks to this modernization work and its famous good humor, it is a safe bet that the Ventimiglia covered market will very quickly regain its aura and its true place in the heart of the city.
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