A procession joined the two sites, leading with the music of the Legion and a mounted escort with riders in historical costumes.
It was hot at 10 a.m. at Place Garibaldi. It was very hot and windy in front of the war memorial at 11 a.m., but the crowd gathered in large numbers to show their affinity for Josué Garibaldi, born at the Port of Nice on July 4, 1807. Everyone knew each other, talked about the weather, and debated over Garibaldi’s first name: Giuseppe, Josué, Joseph. Others at Place Garibaldi fueled the controversy over moving the statue a few meters due to the tramway. Just before noon, the time for official speeches had come. At the microphone stood the Senator Mayor of Nice, Jacques Peyrat. Poetic flights adorned with metaphors, references to Peyrat traditions, characterized the Senator Mayor’s speech. “Garibaldi preferred the diplomacy of the people over that of the cabinets. He is an epic hero in the semantic sense of the term,” declared Jacques Peyrat, comparing Garibaldi’s journey to the Odyssey with Nice replacing Ithaca. After hoping that Nissa la Bella would become not just a local but a national anthem, he looked up to the sky and addressed Garibaldi: “He is a bit in Rome, but I am convinced that he is also in Nice. On behalf of the City of Nice and the people of Nice, I pay tribute to you and proudly salute your memory and your message.”
The tribute continued all day Wednesday with the inauguration of the Franco-Italian village on the Promenade des Anglais, tourist and musical activities throughout the afternoon, a concert by the Orchestral and Choral Ensemble of the Alpes de la Mer and the Choirs of the Vallée du Paillon at the Acropolis Congress Palace, Apollon room (free entrance) at 7 p.m, and a public ball at the Albert 1st garden at 8:30 p.m.
