Ten thirty this Thursday morning. Place des Moulins looks like an anthill. The Oliveraie bar, nestled in the greenery and near the fountain, as well as the Italian café Panino Club are packed. We sip coffee there while remaking the world.
The ballet of cars and buses on this strategic node of the Principality is just as incessant as the comings and goings at the Europa Résidence, a 21-story building erected at the end of the 1960s.
The kindergarten, on the other hand, is always full of families who come to enjoy the setting with a panorama of the vast blue. “There is real soul here. What do I like about this neighborhood? smiles Céline Rafaniello from the l’Oliveraie bar, two decades of experience in the business, boulevard des Moulins.
A complex file
Like many regulars, she heard in the press of the project to requalify the aging Place des Moulins – the creation of which in 1944 had been declared of public utility – between the Europa Résidence and the Trocadéro pergola.
The file turns out to be complex because it mixes public and private land, requiring in fact an agreement from the owners concerned.
If a collective vision has been built over the last year and a half, it now remains for the selected Monegasque architect, Gabriel Viora, to present his sketches and, above all, the cost of this project which will be shared between the stakeholders according to terms to be determined. define.
“He asked me for six months, I gave him three months so that I could come back to you at the beginning of the year [2025] with a project and possible organization”recently told the elected representatives of the National Council, Céline Caron-Dagioni, government advisor-Minister of Equipment, Environment and Urban Planning.
In the meantime, the editorial staff of Monaco-Morning set out to probe those who embody the soul of the place so that they can deliver their vision.
“I dread”
First observation: the project divides. Between the supporters of a profound change and those of the state in which.
Céline Rafaniello falls into the second group. “Even though this will be a plus for commerce, I am dreading this change. ÇIt’s going to do something to me… I don’t like how Monaco is transforming.” she admits.
One of its most loyal customers, Philippe Salut, a 70-year-old resident of Monaco, agrees: “I have seen this place evolve in the right direction. I don’t think we can do better. It’s airy, it’s cosmopolitan, there’s greenery. The only downside here is the parking lot which is always saturated and the difficulty of finding a space on the surface.”
A regularly cited black spot, like this road hub profile, at the heart of the axis leaving the Principality towards Italy, with incessant traffic.
“Why wouldn’t we imagine a sort of large roundabout and a removal of traffic lights to make road traffic more fluid, asks Philippe Cessio, concierge at the Europa Résidence. In the middle, a beautiful landscaped area. At the back, towards the Trocadéro, an esplanade with less vegetation, a clear view of the sea, and a space to organize seasonal events for Christmas, Easter, Halloween…”
A priori, the princely government would not consider changing the current traffic pattern.
“Sports equipment, a dog park”
The unaesthetic and degraded appearance of the Trocadéro pergola, only equipped with benches, is also singled out. This area located on private property, but authorized to the public, is sorely lacking in life. Ball games and other skateboards, rollerblades, bicycles and scooters are also prohibited there for the well-being of residents.
“You can imagine many things in this place: equipment for doing gymnastics with a sea view, like at Larvotto, a dog park with grass and not sand, a café near the kindergarten. list Sissi Moxnes Harfjeld, a Norwegian living at Place des Moulins.
If there are no plans to touch the kindergarten, recently renovated by the owner, its surroundings will most likely be redesigned with the planned relocation of the food kiosk (bar) in order to free up the views towards the deep blue.
“It’s one of the rare places with a view of the sea, we must maintain this aspect. Overall, customers expect it to be improved, supports Carmin de Luca, manager of the Panino Club, an Italian café-restaurant opened in August. It is a strategic node here, especially to go to Larvotto by the elevator. Besides, we have heard rumors that it could be moved, and that luxury boutiques could be installed”he says, without certainty.
“Authenticity”
Like any project, its share of rumors. Anahita, a resident of Palmier, heard that a Starbucks could be established there. “That wouldn’t be very prettyshe believes. Here you need something authentic. I am in favor of a place to live next to the children’s park and also a more suitable place to walk with the dogs.”
The newsstand, taken over in June by Florian Pisani, should be maintained and its design integrated into the overall project. “As the bus stop at Place des Moulins is one of the first in the country, many tourists stop here. They are sometimes lost and we give them information. So why not integrate an information point or reinforce the signage?”he suggests.
One thing is certain, the Monegasque State wants a predominance of greenery with islands of freshness. Above all, he aspires to preserve the original idea put forward by Eugène Beaudouin in the 1940s: that of a belvedere square, with a panorama of the Mediterranean.
