After 90 years in business, the shutters are coming down on the historic Fioreria Baingio on Via Cagliari, one of the longest-running and most recognisable businesses in central Sassari.
The shop's story began in 1936, when Baingio Idini, a florist with a strong passion for art, opened the first business on Via Cagliari. Since then, generations of people from Sassari have visited the flower shop for weddings, anniversaries, births, ceremonies and many other moments in the life of the city.
Pierangela and Pier Paolo are retiring
Closing this long chapter are Pierangela Idini and Pier Paolo Falchi, who ran the business for decades.
Pierangela took over the family business with her husband after her mother Tonia died in 1983, continuing a tradition in which the sale of flowers and plants was always accompanied by a direct and personal relationship with customers.
The decision comes now with the owners' retirement. According to Sassari Oggi, the closure was also influenced by the absence of a new manager willing to take over.
A historic presence on Via Cagliari
Fioreria Baingio was not merely a flower shop.
Over the decades, the business became a familiar presence for shopkeepers and residents of Via Cagliari, accompanying the transformation of the city centre and keeping alive a tradition that began before the Second World War.
The shop built its business around floral arrangements, ornamental plants, decorations for ceremonies and flower deliveries, services that still appear in the company's official presentation today.
Another historic shutter comes down in Sassari
The closure comes at a difficult time for traditional retail. In Sardinia, neighbourhood businesses continue to decline, with particularly visible consequences in historic centres.
We also discussed this in our feature on the crisis affecting retail in Sardinia and the loss of local neighbourhood shops.
In Baingio's case, however, the significance goes beyond the figures. With the closure of the shop on Via Cagliari, a nine-decade family story comes to an end, intertwined with everyday life in Sassari and the memories of several generations of customers.
The family's tradition in the flower business will continue through other branches still active in Sardinia, but the historic premises on Via Cagliari end their journey here, one that began in 1936.