The States of Savoy were liberal with the press, more so than in France where it was subject to prior declaration. In 1848, the “statuto” granted relative freedom to newspapers, which then experienced significant growth. This is how a new newspaper, “L’รฉcho des Alpes Maritimes,” appeared. It was entirely written in French and advocated from 1849 for the attachment of the County of Nice to France.
Following a controversial article about the church published on July 22, 1850, the newspaper was seized and disappeared on August 10. Its fate was to die and rise from its ashes, as it reappeared nine days later under the title “Avenir de Nice.” Other newspapers supported the cause of remaining under the sovereignty of the kings of Piedmont-Sardinia.
Italy did not exist yet, and it is therefore incorrect to say that Nice was Italian. In 1852, “Il Nizzardo” defended the government of Turin and obtained the notable monopoly on legal advertisements, which was a significant source of income. This newspaper would cease publication after the attachment of 1860.
The year 1854 saw the emergence of the first newspaper entirely written in Niรงois, “La Mensoneghierra,” a press organ of Franรงois Guisol. “Il Nizzardo” and the “Gazette de Nice” would preemptively denounce the plebiscite and its numerous irregularities, including the presence of French troops on the voting day. “L’Avenir de Nice” would change its name for a third time to become, on April 3, 1860: “Le Messager de Nice.” This newspaper would become the champion of the French cause and the attachment of April 1860.
After the fall of the Empire, Joseph Andrรฉ led two newspapers written in Italian. The first was “Il Diritto di Nizza” and the second, its successor, was “Il Pensiero di Nizza.”
While the first lasted only a year, the second continued until its ban by the French government in 1895. The press henceforth would be written in French.
Thierry Jan
