by Michele Marangon
«The operators wanted to leave the prices unchanged so as not to let the tourists go away and despite this the attendances decreased»
Neptune, the city of the trident, the sanctuary of Santa Maria Goretti, baseball and Bruno Conti. Timeless myths that, in recent years, have been undermined by the commissioner for mafia infiltrations. But now redemption is being sought: tourism, in the face of a generalized increase in prices, still retains an accessible and popular dimension “but it needs to be relaunched”, argues the prefect Antonio Reppucci, at the head of the Municipality. «The operators wanted to leave the prices unchanged compared to last season, so as not to let the tourists go away – explains the head of the Pro loco Marcello Armocida -. Despite this effort, we have recorded a drop of between 10-20% with a very strong presence, fortunately, of foreigners especially from northern Europe such as Norwegians and Danes».
For the season hotels to forget
The sore points come from the hotel front. The owner of Villa Verdiana tells of a season to forget: «Here we recorded 25-30% less than in 2022 – says Domenico Venditti – and the peak lasted only for the week of August 15th. We suffer from the lack of events: establishments work at 50% during the week, to fill up on weekends. Over the years, the construction of a true Nettunese estate has been lacking, the continuous commissioning of the administrations has certainly weighed. We haven’t raised the price list, the only difference is between high and low season: here, in this period, a double room costs 80 euros». But not everyone complains: in the family resort “I Bordin home” with apartments for up to 5 people for 384 euros per night, “we opened in 2022 – says Fabiana Bordin – with excellent feedback. July went very well and in August we are full. 70% of our customers are European and non-European».
The prices of the beach and restaurants
Chapter establishments and catering: here too the profile remains low. At Bagni Vittoria, if you rent an umbrella and two sunbeds consecutively on Saturday and Sunday, you pay 25 euros a day. A monthly in the first row, with the cabin, reaches 480 euros in the middle of August. The offer of public venues is vast, concentrated in the medieval hamlet that is packed every night, with a leveling of prices – downwards – to attract crowds of young people from all over the area. Add to this the port and internal roads, a maze of restaurants, bars and chip shops for every pocket. The artisanal ice cream on the quay can be found at the “rare” price of 2.5 euros, while a Spritz accompanied by chips is almost always sold for around 6 euros. When the offer is more structured, as they do at the Ego Cocktail bar, you get to 12 euros for an aperitif with a platter of cold cuts and cheeses. The catering sector, however, complains of a drop in attendance and consumption. Pierluigi who runs Salsedine with his wife specifies: «Consumption has dropped by 40%».
The prefect’s analysis
Prefect Reppucci’s analysis is clear: «Neptune must work ferociously on the tourist vocation». For him, a summer of great work, grappling with an administrative machine that was, to say the least, engulfed. “We are traveling on the brink of economic collapse – he explains – with 3,000 urban amnesty practices to be examined and a sea of uncollected taxes”. The commissioner’s mission will last a total of 18 months, and will attempt to restore legality and lay the foundations for the future: «The tourist presences of the golden years are no longer there – recalls Reppucci – and the city must build higher quality services, increase accommodation facilities. Second homes abound here and we know how much this phenomenon increases the underground economy. On September 3, we will host a new edition of the “Nettuno wine festival”: we hope to repeat last year’s success. The city deserves more, but we need a shock from the political class». But Nettuno also produces unexpected talents, such as Pierpaolo Piccioli, creative director of Valentino, who was born in the city of the trident and spends his holidays here.
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August 27, 2023 ( edit August 27, 2023 | 11:07 am)
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2023-08-27 09:16:19
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