Campaign For A Living Venice

The challenge of the 27 year old who decided to invest in two fruit and vegetable stalls in the historic market

12 March 2021

By Eugenio Pendolini

VENEZIA. A “romantic return to his roots” to revitalize Rialto. So yesterday Tommaso Scocco, 27, saw the inauguration of his two fruit and vegetable stalls at the Rialto Market, the heart of Venice. A native of Venice, in fact born at Rialto, during the months of the pandemic Scotto was forced to send home 35 employees of his company, Pacso, opened 35 years ago by his father and specializing in stocking hotels and restaurants, and which has storage at Marghera and at Rialto. Then came the lockdown, the collapse of tourism and of wholesale orders.

“As the pandemic advanced we saw lines of people at the doors of the supermarkets, so we decided to create a system of e-commerce” explains Scocco. During the months when the pandemic was exploding the experiment with selling online went rather well. So well that it even reached 200 orders a day. “At that point” adds Scocco, “we said to ourselves: why not also try to revitalize Rialto?”

Now he stands at the same fruit and vegetable stalls on which his father, 35 years ago, took the first steps forming his company. “It’s true” adds Tommaso, “I have returned to my roots by renting these spaces”. A gesture that’s a minor revolution in these times, as much for the choice to invest during a period of historically serious economic difficulty as for the choice of a business dedicated to residents at a time with the number of Venetians is in constant decline. “I am a romantic” says Scocco, “I would like to see Rialto come back.”

“This is why the decision to open here is a signal to the whole city to not give up. In the coming months we will present, together with architect Paolo Lucchetta, a proposal to redesign the Rialto market”. At yesterday morning’s inauguration Councilor for social cohesion and tourism Simone Venturini was also present, to offer his congratulations for the courageous choice to invest in Venice in the effort to reverse the trend of the flight of younger citizens and businesses that serve the residents. “A gamble that goes against the trend of the past and a signal that should be encouraged” said Venturini. “by a young Venetian who invests in quality”.

The inauguration was also greeted by the Councilor for Commerce, Sebastiano Costalonga: “In this particular moment in history, marked by crisis and economic and social difficulties, events like the opening and beginning of a new business are the sign of a strong will to react”. In the coming months the city administration will focus their attention on the Rialto market, for recovery and reorganization of the many stalls that are currently empty. Today only 23 out of 40 are licensed: “We will evaluate an overall remodel of the market and its fixed structures” added Costalonga.

Source: La Nuova Venezia