It is unmissable: do the test and ask around to find out the name of a place. It is a safe bet that Garibaldi will be in the lead. It is emblematic, it is in all the guides, everyone knows it. Logically, we can therefore assume that it is not lacking in attractiveness. And yet, when you go there to meet the shopkeepers, things are not so obvious.
“A lot of things have been done to improve the placenotes Matthieu Pivet, boss of Garibaldi and president of the Garibaldi Ségurane association. The works on Rue Cassini this winter and soon those on the port will beautify the entire neighborhood. But it is true that it remains a place of passage. It’s normal, there are two tram lines, and we are at the junction between the port and Old Nice.” It is precisely this aspect that annoys the owners of Campo Caffè, the Frichet siblings. Antoine, the brother, does not mince his words. “We’ve been here for 7 years and it’s always been complicated. Compared to the size of the businesses there, we could do better. The place is magnificent, it’s a very nice tool but poorly exploited.”
The people of Nice love it but rarely come
His sister and co-owner Annabelle Frichet analyzes: “It’s simple in the minds of the people of Nice, it’s one of the most beautiful places in Nice but for all that, they don’t come. On cleanliness, the presence of homeless people, things have been done but in terms of attractiveness, we skate.”
Florian Maltese has been at the helm of Roze (the former Café de la Place) for a year and a half. He speaks frankly: “At the beginning, I had some preconceptions about the port’s clientele but ultimately, it is very pleasant: popular in the good sense of the word, with a lot of tourists in summer. But in winter, it’s more complicated. There has been progress compared to last year when we had problems with homeless people hanging around, sometimes fighting… Things are better and the work on Cassini is finished.” And he has ideas to energize the place, like his colleagues. “It’s big, we could take advantage of it. Why not a little petanque or volleyball tournament?”
Markets, concerts…
Mathieu Pivet continues: “We had thought of a sort of light show with projections on the facades.” Annabelle and Antoine Frichet also have no shortage of ideas: “A food market would bring people in. Or an antique market. There is one on Mondays on Cours Saleya even though space is limited. Here, it would be easy and then, it’s coherent because “Historically, antique dealers are in Ségurane, we have space, let’s take advantage of it: we could organize concerts from time to time. There are so many things to do, but you have to have the will.”
