“A real village with a family spirit, here in Saint-Roch everyone knows each other, it’s very surprising to still find that nowadays…”. Julie, retired, fifteen years of living in St-Roch, interviewed in the central square of the neighborhood, which is very popular in the afternoons for its shaded areas. St-Roch is nothing like the modern neighborhoods found in other cities of France. With its market, in the very heart of the town, its church that gave it its name, time seems to have stopped in this small part of Nice.
A village: yes, but not a dead village either. Another particularity of St-Roch: its social diversity. You can find all generations here: young children, teenagers, adults, or seniors. But also all sorts of cultures, centered around the Mediterranean Sea with its Italian or North African influences. All of this in a spirit of conviviality where differences in age or culture are not felt. “Here, we’re above all from St-Roch…”. As Roger Ricort, nicknamed “the child of St-Roch,” the sports director of OGC Nice, likes to remind us, contacted by phone a bit pressed during this transfer period but who doesn’t forget his roots. For Roger Ricort: “This neighborhood, for me, it’s only happiness, only good childhood memories, between the football stadium, the Auberge of tranquility, or the Olympiads of the square which were for us real meeting places where we were sure to always find someone and something to do…”
St-Roch: a neighborhood in renewal
The era of apartment blocks is over, St-Roch is undergoing full urban redevelopment. The arrival of the tramway is not unrelated to this phenomenon. In operation for almost six months now, the iron and glass serpent has managed to give a boost that allowed the rebirth of a neighborhood dormant for some time. Renovation of shops, public structures like the children’s park near the school, the municipality has wisely invested in this unique neighborhood. The locals are happy and delighted with this transformation, but for some, the change is harder to swallow. Gilbert, 57, running the newsstand in St-Roch Square: “The tram is a disaster! Customers are not as loyal as before. Now, wherever they are, they buy their newspapers. The tram has had serious consequences for my business, I have even noticed a real drop in my turnover…”
Between the weight of traditions and the necessity for renewal, the St-Roch neighborhood is currently at a crossroads where it must assimilate this strong village spirit while ensuring it stays in touch with the reality of modern life.
