On 21 October a meeting about the crisis in Rialto featured an urgent appeal from fish merchant Andrea Vio, and an analysis of business activity in the area by G25A’s Nicoletta Frosini.
APPEAL TO ALL ASSOCIATIONS FOR THE LIFE OF VENICE
Greetings to all of you; we workers of the Rialto market and members of various associations will start a movement for the preservation of the very life of VENICE.
We are fighting for Rialto and its Market. Rialto is a symbol of the city, and is suffering from the same problems as the city as a whole: depopulation, the suffering of traditional occupations, small businesses, and artisans which constitute the vital and connective fabric of the city, the loss of living spaces for the residents, the exodus of commercial activity, and the loss of spaces once available for Venetians, now sold off for the needs of tourists.
THE TIME FOR CULTIVATING OUR OWN GARDENS IS OVER
Every Association that dedicates itself to the care, protection and preservation of the city and its traditions is called upon to unite and form one united movement for the city, because the VERY LIFE OF VENICE is at stake.
You, as associations and groups, are the humus of the city, the fertile ground in which the future of the city will grow, each with its own strengths and potentials.
Each of us sees with our own eyes that the city is changing very rapidly, and the outlook is painful: from housing for families to B and Bs, from workshops to takeout shops, from local stores to bazaars selling tourist trinkets. What once would have taken ten years now happens in one.
Globalization cannot and should not devour Venice, because Venice is a city which is unique in the world; its streets are water, and the people meet on the street and speak of their love for the city.
WE MUST URGENTLY DEMAND A POLICY OF PROTECTION, MAINTENANCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE LIVING CITY, AND DO THIS TOGETHER WITH ALL OUR STRENGTH.
“VENICE IS A FISH AND RIALTO IS ITS HEART, AND IF IT STOPS VENICE DIES”
“VENEXIA XE UN PESSE E RIALTO EL SO CUOR E COL SE FERMA VENEXIA MOR”
ANALYSIS OF BUSINESS ACTIVITY AT RIALTO
The numbers tell more than a thousand discussions…
On Sunday 21 October, a meeting about the Rialto area took place at the ‘Casa dei Veneziani’ in Bragora. It opened with an introduction by Nicoletta Frosini, Vice President of the 25 April Association, who shared the results of her research about business activity in the area.
These findings are summarized here, making them available to all who can and should act to help avoid the disappearance of a thousand year old market in the heart of Venice:
DATA ON BUSINESS ACTIVITY IN RIALTO
I) Number of Fruit and Vegetable stands:
1994: 85
2007: 40
2015: 32
2018: 29
These are run by only 16 businesses, 10 of which are run by Venetian workers and 6 by foreign workers.
II) Businesses running Fish stands:
1994: 19
2007: 18
2015:17
2018: 11
III) Butchers (from Ruga Rialto to Rialto Mercato includingcalle dei Botteri)*
Anni ’50: 30 stores
1973: 14
1980:10
2007: 6
2017: 5
2018: 2
IV) Goldsmiths **
Anni 70: 33
2017: 3
2018: 1
- Data gathered from inquiries near macelleria Ragazzo, Rialto
** Data presented by the one remaining goldsmith: Maya Pirona
Source: http://www.gruppo25aprile.org
Campaign For A Living Venice 