the not so new football stadium

[adriatica]

as i posted a while back teramo gota new almost out of town shopping centre before xmas... part of the deal was the building of a new out of town football stadium... most people her in Teramo dislike the disruption caused when the town club plays at home with streets closed and parking places shut... bars not allowed to open ..etc etc... these are national rules that have to be applied..not because there is any history of crowd violence...

waffling on ahgain ... the point is that from april the 20th they move to the new stadium... lots of arguements as to why there has been such a delay...but it looks like maybe it will be functioning soon...so from the outside it all looks like a very good place to watch a football match for those interested... i am more interested in the fact that once the team makes the move there are plans for a new theatre to be built here... dont get me wrong ...i like the old new one...but it doubles as the cinema...well one of them anyway and it will be far better to have another place dedicated as it where to live entertainment...

[kevin]

That is good news but what do you think of the shopping centre? I have been there twice and it is my idea as to what hell will be like ! - Queues to enter the car park thousands of people walking aimlessly around and often queues to leave. Sometimes we go backwards into the future?

[adriatica]

kevin

i reckoned that the queue thing had settled down a bit... although it got worse when they opened the burger king...

however my thoughts are that sometimes during the winter it allows the locals to take their strolls in relative comfort... Teramo seems to me almost like a big village and the shopping centre has almost become a social club for young and old to be able to meet up and chat...

for those popping down from a city life outside abruzzo to the quite and calm of mountain/hill life i agree..its hell ...for those people that have lived here all their lives its a place to escape the quite

its all choices... and luckily we are all different in that respect... i visit it rarely... although when i do i always park on the underground areas as the above ground park is always queued up...

as to what i think of the actual place... too many fashion shops, not enough eating places... but it is very stylish and i love the fountains...especially at night...

[Nielo]

Are we talking about Gran Sasso Gran Shopping?

I have been there a few times now and am always amazed at how empty it is. Last time we had lunch in the Pomodoro Rosso - (€9.50 each for a small bowl of not very nice pasta, a pork chop and four slices of tomato, glass of wine (won't be going there again!) While we were in the restaurant we did not notice one single person even look in the window of the jewellers opposite let alone anyone go into the shop!

Maybe we have just hit quiet times but from what we have witnessed I can well expect that quite a few of the shops will not be renewing their leases.

[AllanMason]

Originally Posted by Nielo

Are we talking about Gran Sasso Gran Shopping?
...
I have been there a few times now and am always amazed at how empty it is.
Maybe we have just hit quiet times but from what we have witnessed I can well expect that quite a few of the shops will not be renewing their leases.

We've been wondering about that as well. Every time we've visited, the car park has been virtually empty and it has felt like the few people in the mall are rattling around the vast space of the place.

However, we assumed that was just because we don't go shopping at weekends and in the evening because we want to avoid crowds.

Agree with John about the plethora of clothes shops. I don't understand how that's supposed to work out in terms of commercial viability since it looks to me like they're all selling pretty much the same stuff. But then I'm just a non-Italian male, so what do I know about fashion?

If you look closely, there's a lack of attention to detail in the finish showing here and there, but we like the general feel of the place. It is truly a cathedral to consumption - which I fully appreciate is some people's idea of hell on earth - but we think it's a nice space to be in on one of those rare grey winter days we get in our corner of Abruzzo. Imagine it will also be pleasant in the heat of the summer.

Al

[adriatica]

what is hard to understand for many foreigners here is the Italian way of life... basically if you go to the supermarrket or shopping centre between 1 and five there will be no life... alan hits it on the nail because he chooses to do things this way by virtue of his knowledge of how Italians are fixated on time...

which is why the shopping center is decidedly empty at those periods and from five to nine in the evening is decidedly crowded

one only has to visit teramo the city between those times to see that this does not apply only to shopping centres but to all forms of Italian commercial life...

as regards the restaurant i find the food there both enjoyable and good value and as i explained i think in a posting i made about the place the price is obviously higher than an agriturismo meal in the back of beyond... but the quality of the food is fine... as always when there is debate about these sorts of things i suggest people that like to air that view in public actually say if they complained and what the reaction was... i would be quite happy to take nielo along with his post to the people that run the place and go through what was wrong with the actual meal .... they do speak and read english so it should be no problem .. so a copy of the posting will be quite legible to them... ..... and maybe after they hear his / her views they will either exact an apology or improve their quality.... because of course all restaurants can have a bad day but they should be made to pay if they do... which to my mind means sending food back as not eatable at the time and requiring edible food to be brought...

[Nielo]

Originally Posted by adriatica

what is hard to understand for many foreigners here is the Italian way of life... basically if you go to the supermarrket or shopping centre between 1 and five there will be no life... alan hits it on the nail because he chooses to do things this way by virtue of his knowledge of how Italians are fixated on time...

which is why the shopping center is decidedly empty at those periods and from five to nine in the evening is decidedly crowded

one only has to visit teramo the city between those times to see that this does not apply only to shopping centres but to all forms of Italian commercial life...

as regards the restaurant i find the food there both enjoyable and good value and as i explained i think in a posting i made about the place the price is obviously higher than an agriturismo meal in the back of beyond... but the quality of the food is fine... as always when there is debate about these sorts of things i suggest people that like to air that view in public actually say if they complained and what the reaction was... i would be quite happy to take nielo along with his post to the people that run the place and go through what was wrong with the actual meal .... they do speak and read english so it should be no problem .. so a copy of the posting will be quite legible to them... ..... and maybe after they hear his / her views they will either exact an apology or improve their quality.... because of course all restaurants can have a bad day but they should be made to pay if they do... which to my mind means sending food back as not eatable at the time and requiring edible food to be brought...

I find this offensive and feel I have as much right to my own opinion as you do.

I'm glad you enjoyed your meal, I did not... end of story.

[Nielo]

The shopping centre does not appear to be thriving, It has reduced its daily opening hours, is offering all sorts of ‘incentives; like free admission tot the cinema at certain times and now it is closed on Sundays.

Megalo in Chieti Scalo is a similar size but it does seem more successful and much busier, I wonder if the Gran Sasso is just in the wrong place or if the selection of shops is not quite right for the area?

[pilchard]

I must admit to visiting The Gran Sasso shopping centre and waiting for the next tumbleweed to come rolling by. We have visited the "centre" on many occasions and times. It's always empty. Apart of course from the bored shop keepers hanging out on the front step talking on their mobiles to anyone who will listen.
All that money spent, all those empty car parking spaces, all those bored young things. The shops there do not appeal to my age group or my pocket. We only ever visit the supermarket for the food shop.
I think it will not be long before we hear that it has closed it's doors and become another empty building. Such a waste, such a shame....sob........
Sprat

[adriatica]

to tell you the truth they are expanding the place... it now has a second entrance for people coming direct from Teramo allowing you to avoid the motorway... which is good for us that live in the area...it has a second petrol station ...which offers cheaper fuel... it will be bringing sunday shopping back closer to xmas... and there are more areas being added along the new Teramo entrance...

as for reducing hours like all things that start up new they have to change things... taking one hour off the evenings does not to my mind suggest imminent failure ... giving free cinemas to children during the summer months also was i would have said quite clever allowing parents to shop alone... they also have a place to leave younger children... ...to me also a good idea...

saturdays even when they were open sundays were generally nightmarish...as regards queues.... there are other timers it does appear quite.. but then if you walk through the centre of Teramo i often wonder how most of the clothes and shoe shops survive there... we even have several expensive spec shops which never seem to have anyone in...

however some if not all is explained i would say by shopping habits amongst those with free days and those with work or jobs... people tend to head off shopping after 6pm as far as i can work out...

anyway the place has been open less than a year... a plethora of fashion outlets is an Italian necessity ... it will balance out obviously... and its all aimed at less than normal sized people and is aimed at appearing young and being able to spend a lot ... but that's Italy...

i have never been to many of the other shopping places... sometimes to collonella... our second closest one on the coast... and that always appears busy... Teramo city people seem to like the place... they definitely like not having football matches in the heart of the city.... i know in the summer there were always big parties out on the front square with music and food during the summer... and as the weather changes its a good evening place to meet up and stroll...

there does seem to be a sort of hate generated about the place... one web site that is letting a property in the country here had the owner raving on about something designed in hell and ready to destroy all small local commerce.... however that person uses ryan air to escape a life in the uk every couple of months for a weekend so i sort of do not worry overly about their view... i also realise that for many people that do come to live here its a lifestyle choice to avoid which is fine...

it was designed as a place to relax... as a concept maybe it will not work... but i would suggest that at least a year needs to pass... it is also a time when Italians and their disposable income is at an all time low.. so if it does go well maybe it will be the way of the future... a sort of community type out of town shopping area... one of the reasons that it uses conad/leclerc.. is that a lot of local fresh produce is sold there... for example a separate still of the castel castagna salami and ham factory within the supermarket...

i and most people i know would be happy to show the gloom merchants a thriving place to shop next year... not only because its a big employment factor... but because i and many people i know like the place.. and its been done very well... the other shopping centres scare me... too crowded and rushed....