“The Italian Alley” was inaugurated this Thursday, January 29th, on the Promenade du Paillon.
The Deputy Mayor of the city, Christian Estrosi, and the Consul General of Italy in Nice, Serena Lippi, gave a speech to celebrate the event.
“I kept my promise!” This is how Christian Estrosi’s speech began.
“During my New Year’s wishes last year, I told you that we would find here the memory that my predecessors wanted to dedicate to the Italians of Nice and to all Italians, and that some of my predecessors wanted to erase. […] In this year 2015, I have asked that Nice commemorate with several significant events the entry of Italy into the war alongside France in May 1915,” recalled the mayor of Nice.
On November 11, 1918, the City Council of Nice, under the presidency of François Goiran, the mayor at the time, had decided to name the current Jean Jaurès Boulevard as Boulevard des Italiens.
“By naming today a major axis of our Promenade du Paillon as ‘Alley of the Italians,’ it is this order of things that I wanted to restore,” declared Christian Estrosi.
“Viva l’Italia e viva la Francia”
The Consul General of Italy, Serena Lippi, wanted to thank the city of Nice and the French people. “It is for me an extraordinary opportunity to be able to thank from the bottom of my heart our French friends and the city of Nice for these gifts that allow us today to feel proud to be Italian.”
“What I have always admired in your country is the profound sense of belonging to the nation and the pride of your citizens in being French, as well as the unity of an entire people in the face of serious events, such as during the recent terrorist attacks in Paris. In the face of Islamic terrorism, we will remain united. […] Our important and closely related cultures will allow us to continue working together excellently,” she added.
An inauguration symbolizing long-standing unity between the two neighboring countries.
