The County of Nice was an Italian-speaking territory which included almost the entire basin of the Var River and part of the Roya-Bevera Valley. The capital was Nice, called "Nizza Marittima" to distinguish it from Nizza Monferrato in Piedmont. The county belonged to the Kingdom of Sardinia until 1860, when it was ceded to France by Cavour; an intense work of Frenchification was implemented most especially in the city of Nizza Marittima, but also in the rest of the territory. The progressive spread of the French language was favored, to the detriment of the Italian language: for example, all Italian newspaper publications were closed (such as "La voce di Nizza"); even many native surnames were changed ("Bianchi" became "Leblanc"; "Del Ponte" became "Dupont", etc.). The Italianity of Nice gradually disappeared: In the 1930's the old city centre was still majority Italian, now the city is entirely French-speaking.
Italian is still the second language of the city and the Nizzardo dialect is essentially a branch of Ligurian. Native culture remains mostly in the countryside villages as well as in Mentone and in the state of Monaco: the dialects – as well as the customs and traditions – are Ligurian. What is also interesting is that a good portion of the surnames of the residents in this region are Italian: it is not surprising therefore when we find names such as "Giorgi" and "Delrivo" in Poggetto Tenieri, "Baldacci" and "Paolini" in Guglielmi, "Rosso", "Andreoli" and "Ceccarini" in Turbia, etc. The area beyond the western limit of the County of Nice is very French. Provence begins at the Varo River – which, since antiquity, has been designated as the western limit of the Italian region.
In 1947, following the Treaty of Paris, Italy was forced to cede to France the commune of Tenda and part of the communes of Briga Marittima, Valdieri and Olivetta San Michele; these areas were immediately subject to Frenchification. A certain portion of the population, who refused to become French citizens, were forced into exile. Other territories, of limited size but of great strategic importance, were annexed to France: the Monginevro Pass, the Stretta Valley of Mount Tabor (to the west of Bardonecchia), the Moncenisio Pass and a part of the territory of the Little St. Bernard Pass with the famous hospice. In this area, it should be noted, is the peak of Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc) which, contrary to what some claim, does not belong to France, but upon it runs the line of the current political border.
The Cession of Nice and Savoy to France
The cession of Nice and Savoy to France was commissioned by Count Camillo Benso di Cavour in order to obtain the "placet" of Napoleone III who had ambitions in the two regions. Cavour believed – wrongly or rightly – that it was necessary to sacrifice these regions in order to complete the union of Italy. Not all politicians approved the plan, because even if Savoy was French in language and customs, it was tied to Italy by a dynastic bond, and the County of Nice was purely Italian, just as Italian as Piedmont and Liguria. The most fierce opponent was obviously Giuseppe Garibaldi, since Nizza Marittima was his birth city, but the conservative Right also strongly criticized the move, and so did the Left, who argued that the cession was "a genuine enslavement of Cavour's government to France." Even London itself (perhaps fearing a further expansion of France) expressed its discontent with this decision. But Cavour, despite all the opposition, held a plebiscite in both Nice and Savoy, with the clear intention of rigging it in France's favor. He wrote a letter on March 27, 1860 to Costantino Nigra, saying: "...we must ensure, with skilful measures, the success of the vote in favor of France."
Additionally, he permitted Napoleon III's Minister of Police to enter Nice and deceive the public. Garibaldi, furious about what was happening, wanted to appear in Nizza Marittima and speak to the people, but King Vittorio Emanuele agreed with Cavour and intervened to dissuade him. Later Garibaldi consulted the Ministry about the cession treaty of Nice and Savoy, and argued that it violated the terms by which the city gave itself to the Savoy dynasty and that it jeopardized the reputation of the monarchy and the security of the Kingdom; finally he argued that they could not proceed with a plebiscite before the approval of the treaty by Parliament.
Despite the efforts of the Hero of Two Worlds, the plebiscite took place on April 15th and 22nd. Its results were: in Savoy 130,538 votes for the annexation to France and 235 against, and in Nice 24,448 for and 160 against, results which were obtained by illegitimate means and contrary to the true will of the people, who felt Italian. As confirmation of this, a news story was published by Marzio Scaglioni ("La presenza italiana in Dalmazia 1866-1943") which said: "The only men who were able to vote freely were 119 sailors from Nice aboard Savoyard vessels docked in various ports and they expressed themselves thus: 114 for Italy and 5 for France."
After the plebiscite there was a debate in the Chamber; a number of deputies took part in it, including Rattazzi, Guerrazzi and Cavour. Here is the final part of Guerrazzi's speech, listing the reasons why he voted against the Treaty:
"I refused to vote because I want Italy to be united in one body, and I am not going to be an unfaithful agent by voting in favor of tearing away a most noble piece of my Fatherland. I refused to vote because the loss of Nice will cause Italy to remain perpetually tampered with. I refused to vote because I believe it would be a disservice to France to believe that they want to subject us to this Caudine battle. I refused to vote because its necessity has not been not demonstrated. I refused to vote because, from the point of view of nationality, using certain contingencies, a large part of Savoy could be ceded, whereas Nice can never be ceded. I refused to vote because I am certain of the present advantages, but the future is not clear, keeping in mind the proverb: “words and feathers are carried away by the wind.” I refused to vote because the vote tramples upon legality—the holy guardian of rights. I refused to vote because with this abhorrent treaty we will be placing in the hands of our friend a weapon that will raise suspicions, giving our enemies a pretext to take another part of Italy by claiming it is to counter-balance French power. I refused to vote because I think it would be a crime to raise my vote while Garibaldi conquers the Fatherland by the sword. I refused to vote because I think that depositing the vote in the ballot box would drive a nail into the coffin of Italian unity. It would be impossible to unite Italy. God forbid! Burying the dead is the job of undertakers, not the job of free Italians in the first Italian Parliament."Rattazzi maintained that they could prevent the sacrifice of Nice before the annexation, and recommended that the Chamber abstain.
The speech of Cavour was truly remarkable: he defended his policy and defended the benefits of the alliance with France. He even attempted to demonstrate that "Nice was not Italian", but the reasons he gave were were by no means plausible, indeed some of his arguments were also childish, which surely Cavour could not have really believed. On May 29th, the Chamber approved the treaty with 225 votes in favor, 33 against and 23 abstentions.
The discussion was then brought to the Senate. At that meeting there was much discussion about the treaty. The speech of Giovanni De Foresta, an ex-minister from Nice, was particularly heart-warming; he resigned himself to the painful sacrifice, but rebelled fiercely against the claim that Nice was not Italian:
"I would therefore, gentlemen, suggest you abandon the argument which casts doubt upon the Italian nationality of Nice, and which for me makes this treaty all the more painful. I would not want you to assert a rash thesis which will force us tomorrow to say that Garibaldi was not Italian, and which would force you to say that this city — which with its courage, its loyalty and with its constancy has previously saved the Savoy monarchy — was not an Italian city... Surrender it if inexorable necessity obliges you to this painful sacrifice, surrender the territory of Nice if you must, but do not surrender its traditions, its splendors, its glories, which are still our glories, because they are Italian glories. Gentlemen, I now come to the end of my explanation and, as I said, both love of our Fatherland and personal dignity obliges me to oppose this vote. .... In a few days the treaty will therefore be ratified. Nice, the most faithful city, will become a French city. I, however, will never cease to be Italian... The city of Nice, which by its loyalty, courage and constancy saved the Savoy dynasty, today is sacrificed and serves its final destiny to bring about the complete triumph of the Italian cause."The cession of Nice was approved by the Senate by 92 votes against 10. On June 10, 1860 the great sacrifice was made: Nizza Marittima and its territory, along with Savoy, was ceded to France. From that point forward, for the next two years, about ten thousand Italians left the County of Nice and and arrived in Italy as exiles.
It should be noted that, despite the notification of the first Italian Parliament, the cession of Nice remained for a long time an open account between Italy and France; the question was readdressed several times in later years; the first (in a subtle way) was in 1870; the last was in 1940 when Mussolini invaded France.
The Roya Valley
The Roya is a small stream that starts at Col di Tenda and, after crossing ravines and hills in an arduous but charming journey, flows near Ventimiglia. Its valley, famous for its natural beauty, has suffered the same fate as the old western border of Italy over the last 140 years, that is, ever since the County of Nice passed to France. In fact, with the cession of the County, the Roya river was born in Italy and found itself passing the state border twice, leaving to France the lands of Breglio and Saorgio and to Italy Tenda, Briga and the old "hunting grounds" of the House of Savoy (that is, the upper valleys of the Tinea and Vesubia rivers). This border line was "retouched" in 1947 when the lands of Tenda and Briga were taken from Italy. Despite the policy of Frenchification imposed since 1860 and 1947, the dialects of the towns in the French part of the Roya Valley still retain the characteristics of the Ligurian dialect. The following is a list of the various towns with a brief description.
Airole is perhaps the most important town of the valley with its approximately 500 inhabitants. The village, located at 149 meters above sea level, is perched on a hill above the Roya River. Located nearby is the ruins of a castle.
Olivetta San Michele is the capital of a group of villages, which also included Piene and Libri until they passed to France in 1947. The castle of Penna was the cause of various disputes because of its strategic position which allowed one to control the traffic along the "salt route" of the Roya Valley.
Sospello is a typical village in the upper valley which, since the sixteenth century, enables passage from the Bevera Valley to the Roya Valley.
Breglio is a quiet town located on the shores of a lake formed by the Roya River. In 1947 the Italian villages of Piena and Libri were annexed to the commune of Breglio.
Saorgio is a delightful town, characterized by its porches and its narrow alleys.
Fontane is located right in heart of the Roya Valley. The village stretches along the river between rocky gorges.
Berghe is an ancient fourteenth century town with painted facades and precious architraves and is located in a parallel valley, the Levenza Valley. It passed to France in 1947.
Nostra Signora del Fontan is located above a stream, surrounded by woods, and is connected to Briga Marittima and Triora by an old mule track.
Briga Marittima is located on a small plateau cut off by the Livenza river, a tributary of the Roya river. The village has preserved many interesting testimonies of the past. Characteristic is the idiom of the territory and of the so-called "terra brigasca", comprised of the old commune of Briga and the villages of Verdeggia (commune of Triora) and Viozzene (commune of Ormea). Part of the old commune of Briga remained in Italy, with the villages of Piaggia, Carnino and Upega, which make up today's commune of Briga Alta (province of Cuneo) and Realdo, which was aggregated to Triora (province of Imperia). The territory with its other villages instead passed from the province of Cuneo to France in 1947.
Tenda is the largest town in the department. The village, perched by stone-roofed houses, is surrounded by typical terraced crops. The nearby village of San Dalmazzo di Tenda leads to the Meraviglie Valley (Valley of Marvels), a park of great environmental and historical interest which is home to more than thirty thousand engravings from the Bronze Age.
Granile is a village in Tenda with a dozen inhabitants. The leaning houses, wooden balconies and stone roofs are very typical of the area.
In 1987 the Edizioni Team 80 (via Boccaccio 19, 20123 Milan) published the book "Val Roia mutilata" ("Roya Valley Mutilated") by Marcolini, in which he described the political history of Nilla Gismondi, the founder of the "Committee for the Italianity of the Roya Valley", which was opposed to the "Committee for annexation to France", which was financed by the French secret services and led by naturalized French citizens. After the annexation, Gismondi's Committee endeavored to help all the refugees from the Roya Valley who refused to become French citizens and arrived in Italy. In 1989 Gianluigi Ugo published "Il confine italo-francese" ("The Franco-Italian Border"), a fairly comprehensive and in-depth study on the subject, while in 1995 Giulio Vignoli devoted a chapter to Briga and Tenda in his "I territori italofoni non appartenenti alla Repubblica italiana" ("The Italian-speaking territories outside the Italian Republic"), published by Giuffrè.
For those who claim that Briga and Tenda were pro-French, remember that on June 2, 1946, on the occasion of the Italian constitutional referendum, the majority of the inhabitants of Briga voted in favor of the monarchy, while at Tenda the republic overcame the monarchy by a mere 66 votes. The parties opposed to the annexation (Christian Democrats and the Italian Republican Party) obtained a majority of the votes in the elections for the Constituent Assembly. The only "Italian" party in favor of ceding the territory was the Socialist Party, and the French secret service created strong propaganda to influence voting. Paradoxically, however, the charismatic leader of the French socialists, Léon Blum, was very critical of the annexation. According to him, the friendship between France and Italy was worth far more than the possession of Briga and Tenda. That Blum held such sentiments is confirmed by his own writings, as well as by the orators of the time, and is also confirmed by the publication of the diaries of Pietro Nenni.
In the years immediately following the annexation, France engaged in a bloodless ethnic cleansing, eliminating Italian gravestones and headstones, changing local place names down to the last cottage, and even replacing the words below the monument of Colonel Giovanni Pastorelli, who died at the Battle of Ain Zara (Libya) in 1911. The Frenchified monument now absurdly says "Jean Pastorelli" and describes him as an unspecified "champ d'honneur".
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