Daniel Silvetti, a chef settled for more than 15 years in the old town, shows us a pile of refuse dumped in front of the trash area located not far from his establishment. “Sometimes it’s us who take the necessary steps, and out of our own pockets, because otherwise the smell quickly becomes pestilential not to mention the rats who have a feast every night.” Indeed, while speaking, two tiny grayish rodents scurry across the alley to dive into the trash area, certainly in search of their evening meal.
“The old town is a favorite spot for tourists but with the various works in the city, even more of them are taking refuge in the area. What a dismal spectacle we offer. It’s pointless to promote our city just to welcome people in such conditions,” says Myriam, a shopkeeper, who admits avoiding certain alleys whose odors are sometimes hard to bear. “I lived for 5 years in Old Nice and it’s now that I’m no longer there that I realize the pitiful state it’s in. I’m not far, at the port, and this problem almost doesn’t exist. Perhaps we should take examples from certain neighborhoods to ensure hygiene and cleanliness return here.”
But the trash areas are not the only black spot in the old Nice district where numerous bars and pubs are located, with beer flowing freely. And where there’s beer, there’s necessarily the elimination of it. Certainly, all these establishments provide toilets to their customers, but once outside, this clientele ends up “draining” on the walls and corners of the old alleys, causing a new olfactory nuisance that adds to the trash problem. “We try to intervene when we encounter this kind of behavior, but it’s difficult to make this point to people who are more or less drunk.” Karim*, a doorman in a nightlife spot, admits that it is relatively common and that even if he sometimes manages to reason with them, he knows perfectly well that they will do it again a bit further on. Could the installation of public toilets not be a solution to this problem?
Lastly, there are the nuisances that are seen and smelled, but we must not forget those that are heard, and in this respect, Old Nice fares no better with its narrow streets that echo the songs of one-night Pavarotti wannabes who forget that above them there are families sleeping. Here too, the doormen of various nightlife establishments try to “orchestrate” the aspirations of these festive music lovers, but not always with success… at the sun key!
In short, living and/or working in Old Nice is not easy on the senses, and it is hoped that local authorities find the right solutions to restore Old Nice to the jewel it should be.
