500 new businesses opened in Venice, a model for historic centres
A four-year review of the innovative measure dubbed 'anti-shoplifting' - Open-and-close shops eradicated
by Barbara Ganz
Key points
"Between craft and commercial activities, more than 500 shops have opened in recent years: we are very pleased with this measure, which is also serving as a model for the historic centres of Italy's largest cities, which are grappling with the same problems, including shops that disappear within a few months and the sale of mass-produced, low-quality objects.
The Councillor for Productive Activities of the Municipality of Venice Sebastiano Costalonga thus sums up four years of the innovative measure dubbed 'anti-business', including the three-year trial period starting in 2022.
The Budget
The new openings include the haute couture atelier, the artistic craft shops, the jewellery shop, the art and beauty salon, the stationery shop, the greengrocer and the florist: all activities that have gradually returned to appear among the calli and campi of Venice's historic centre. And to stay there: the figures show that the phenomenon of 'open and close' shops has been practically eliminated.
The municipal administration recently illustrated the final data on the enforcement of regulations for the protection and enhancement of cultural heritage in the historic city centre. At Ca' Farsetti, Councillor Costalonga was joined by Councillor for Security Elisabetta Pesce and the Venice City Council's technical offices and local police to illustrate the results. Also present were the Venetian trade associations that contributed to the definition of the regulations: Valentina Di Matteo, director of Aepe, Luciano Gambero, president of the Promovetro consortium, Confartigianato director Matteo Masat, Cna director Giampaolo Toso and Giacomo Sardegna representing Ascom Confcommercio.
The Coordination
The measure, which was the result of institutional coordination between the municipality, the Veneto Region and the Ministry of Culture, made it possible to transform the experimental restrictions into a definitive regulatory framework.
