After a commercial fiasco, the Gare du Sud hall will welcome the public once again starting July 10 with the brand-new Méditerranéo concept dedicated to Mediterranean cuisine.
During the last City Council meeting, the assembly recorded the long-awaited reopening of this gourmet hall, on July 10, 2023, located in the heart of the Libération district. With a closure in April 2022, it has taken over a year for the former Chemins de fer de Provence station to be ready to open again with an “innovative concept”. Anthony Borré, the first deputy, praises “the great quality of this project.” Various stands will offer a variety of Mediterranean gastronomy specialties in this venue.
The revitalization of the district, the initial goal of the project, can now be relaunched. “The restaurants around are eagerly awaiting the reopening of the Gare du Sud,” assures Franck Martin. It is the IT group (Italian trattoria) of brothers Renato and Gio Iera that is taking over the business. They succeed Urban Renaissance Development, which was forced to close down due to health and economic issues.
“We are dealing with a truly professional restaurant group,” assures the deputy for commerce. The new owner, working internationally, already owns the Italian trattoria on the west side of the hall. Just a few kilometers away, IT is also established on the top floor of the Cap 3000 shopping center with its IT Villagio concept.
“Narco-traffickers” and “ridiculous” capacity of 300 people, the opposition remains cautious
The opposition had some fun commenting on this decision. “This time, the stars seem to be aligning, the concept is enticing, all in the colors of the Mediterranean shores. The promises of the operator to revitalize the Libération district, as a good neighbor, are highlighted,” quips Valérie Delpech from the Retrouver Nice group with irony. The municipal councilor reiterates “two points of caution” regarding this project.
She wants to ensure the safety around the hall, frequented by “narco-traffickers” and “malicious gangs” and also monitor the smooth operation of the site. To this end, she notably proposes the establishment of a steering committee to “quickly identify any potential malfunctions.”
Juliette Chesnel from the EELV group is outraged by the implementation “of a capacity of barely 300 people per day during the first week.” “It’s absolutely ridiculous,” she continues, interpreting this measure as a lack of confidence from the city towards this project. The deputy in charge of the Gare du Sud then refutes this information. The capacity of the hall is planned to accommodate 780 people indoors and more than 340 people outdoors. Nevertheless, for a test period of one week, to ensure a smooth start, the hall will limit access to 300 people per day.
