Biographie de Menica Rondelly

Menica, inhabitant of Nice  since at least 10 generations

Carolus, Menica's son evoked quickly the family of his father in the book that he has devoted to him Menica Rondelly, Barde niçois, sa vie, son oeuvreprinted on March 15, 1936, printer L'éclaireur de Nice almost one year after his death.

He wrote that Menica was an old family of Nice and his mother of a family of peasants at Gairaut.

Actually, this is attested in the acts that I have gotten. The spelling of the name was different according to the period, rules of parish acts writing and language either latin, either italian, either french. older acts mentioned Rondeu. There are also Rondel, Rondell or Rondelo for men and Rondela for females. The family name is stabilised since 1820 in Rondelly or even Rondellÿ, probably to much emphasise the last  syllable, and highlight the difference to Rondelli of Italian origin.

Francesco Domenico (called Menica)'s father, who was also called Carolus, was a dealer as his mother Anna Maria Astraudo and belonged to an old family of Nice which did not leave the Old-Nice since the 16th century. Indeed, the Rondelly are descendants of Giuliano Rondeu, born in San Remo and Francesca Raibauda, born in Nice married at Ste -Reparate cathedral in 1647 in Nice. Francesca Raibauda belonged to an old family of Nice since her grandparents Gabrielle Raibaudo and Angelina Guirardo were born in Nice circa 1550.

On the side of Anna Maria Astraudo, this family lived at Gairaut since 16th century. I was not possible to go back further than 1588, date of marriage of Gio Francesco Astraudo son of Domenico born circa 1550 in Nice with Ludovica, daughter of Isnardo Sauvaigo.

So, Menica was an inhabitant of Nice since at least 10 generations on the side of this father and of his mother.

He was perfectly aware of his parentage since in the issue of the Ratapignata of 18-25 June 1905, in a fictional style article un crime sensassionelhe writes he is nissart dou Babazouc (inhabitant of the Old-Nice), son of Carletou and Maria, grandson of Cioà and Rousalia, grandson of Bergida and Barnabe, grandson of Goustin and Douroutea, then Toumasin and Madaloun, and then Pin and Pupina, etc. etc.

His origins completely from Nice indeed explain his commitment of this country that he knows well. Born before the annexation by France, he lived at a period full of upheavals.

He studied at school of the Ignourantins of the Condamine monks (the small ignorant, nickname given in Nice to these christian monks). In 1868, he was admitted in the Lycée de Nice with a grant.  He was fourteen years old.
Genealogy of Menica Rondelly


The idealist, the activist

Very soon he had a personality since he went as a soldier at the age of 16 years old with Garibaldi without telling his parents. 3 months after he decided to write to them from Dijon where he fought in the 1st Battalion of the hunters of the Alpes-maritimes. He had truly  political convictions since a month previously he had tried to enter as a soldier of the class of 1870 seeing posters on the walls of the city. The officer then did inform his parents. The museum Massena must have kept the red shirt of Menica.
The prestige of Jousé Garibaldi, this inhabitant of Nice became heroe, advocate of the freedoms in Europe and South America had on Menica as on any youth enthusiasm that did not die later, since he continued all his life for the ideas of Garibaldi.

His son Carolus  wrote that when he returned at home from war, life became more and more difficult for the numerous family since Menica had 5 brothers and 6 sisters  : Francisco, Gerolamo Francisco Enrico, Giustino, Francisca, Francisco Luigi, Virginia Adela, Fraçoise, Joséphine, Philomène, Paul and Fanny.
Menica (as he liked to be called himself had as a true surname Francesco Domenico, (and not François Dominique) because since 1814, the Comté of Nice was Newly part of the Kingdom of Piemount-Sardinia to which it belonged since 1388. It is the  Sardinian restoration period, when acts  were written in Italian, and which ended the episode which lasted 22 years during which the Comté of Nice had been directed by the French administration (1792-1814).

Born on January 6, 1854 at 12 Droite street where his parents had a grocery, 20 meters near the Lascaris Palace, He is the third child in a family of 12.

Only his brother Gerolamo Francisco Enrico worked in 1871 in a watchmaking-jewellery House. Francesco Domenico was forced to abandon his studies for financial reasons and got a job at the civil court.

His son Carolus wrote that at 20 years old he was a young handsome man with  long black hair with bright eyes. His voice was fluent,with inflections sometimes soft, singing or nervous. He had a good education. His voice was a baritone, he liked singing romances with his brother Henry who has a tenor voice.

Carolus wrote that at the age of 20 years during one of these singing evenings  which should be part of traditional cultural life in the old-Nice, Menica made the acquaintance of Antonietta Icard which had the same age than he and hairdresser. He fell in love with her and the next day he asked her in marriage by giving her a poem he wrote in the night. Unfortunately, one year after, he embarked for 5 years of military service in Algeria.

During his stay in Oran, the Rondelly family welcomed the girl at home, 31 Victor Street (became Republic Street) while the family was rather numerous, since there were 11 children.

He managed to come back in Nice after 2 years and a half and he married Antoinette 3 months after returning on February 1878 while he was still a soldier.

Antonietta Icard was the daughter of Giovanni Battisto Icard and Maria Tordo.

The couple had 4 children: Marie Charlotte Adrienne, Angelique Jeanne Gabrielle, Eugenie Pierrette so-called Adrienne and Carolus.

After his wedding, he had a business of importation of wines from Italy  with his friend Cesar Tordo. It seems that he did not like trade very much.

His work as a writter did not allowed him to avoid financial difficulties, as his son Carolus often referred. Indeed, most of its publications have ben printed by subscription. At the begining of the book Les grands évènements de Nice de 1860 à 1910made with the help of his friend Giletta, "le bien estimé photographe", famous for his collections of photos on a Nice and inhabitants, there is an alphabetical list of the 170 people who were willing to encourage the author to publish this book.

His health was bad since several times in his life his son mentions serious concerns of health (without giving details), in particular in 1871 returning from war after the expedition to Dijon with Garibaldi and especially since February 1896 to December 1897, that is 2 years spent at her sister Fanny's house at  Bon-Voyage.

In 1908, he got at 54 years old a modest job at  the city library, because he couldn't earn his life with his songs, thanks to Senator-mayor Honoré Sauvan, maybe thanks to his Crescendo Semper, song written for the opportunity of the banquet for his 21 years of municipal mandate.

This job allowed him to conduct researches on local history in the archives of the city and so he published les grands évènements de Nice de 1860 à 1910.

In 1912, he got a job as administrator of the library of the natural history museum. He was then 58 years old. This allowed him to discover beautiful watercolors of flowers, fish and mushrooms of Vincent Fossat (see article in the Eclaireur de Nice on May 1, 1923 which talks about Menica Rondelly as a tireless browser) (site well documented of Conseil General des Alpes-maritimes/topic: culture/archives / press)

He has not made his fortune of his books and songs, but he had many friends,such as Francois Béranger at St-Laurent-du-Var, which he was the mayor since 1903 to 1928  in his properties called the Bastide where Menica was allowed to build a shed and grew flowers.

The city of Nice -  Jean Medecin, mayor of Nice (not to be confused with his son Jacques!) - made a great tribute solemnly in his lifetime in 1934 with a bas-relief with engraving on marble  Sainte-Claire square with musical notes  made by sculptor Bravi, by initiative of the friends of the Old-Nice and located near the Castle.



Carolus raconte que le jour de ses 20 ans lors d'une de ces soirées chantées auxquelles il était assidu et qui devaient faire parti de la vie culturelle traditionnelle des niçois dans le vieux-Nice, Menica fait la connaissance d'Antonietta Icard qui a le même âge que lui et qui est coiffeuse; il tombe amoureux d'elle et le lendemain il la demande en mariage en lui remettant un poème écrit dans la nuit. Malheureusement, l'année suivante, il embarque pour 5 ans de service militaire avec le 5è Zouave pour l'Algérie.

Pendant son séjour à Oran, la famille Rondelly accueille la jeune fille chez eux, au 31 de la rue Victor (devenue rue de la République) alors que le famille était plutôt nombreuse, puisqu'elle comptait 11 enfants.

Il réussit à revenir à Nice au bout de 2 ans et demi et il épouse Antoinette 3 mois après son retour le 9 février 1878 alors qu'il est encore soldat.

Antonietta Icard était la fille de Giovanni Battisto Icard et de Maria Tordo.

Le couple aura 4 enfants : Marie Charlotte Adrienne, Angélique Jeanne Gabrielle, Eugénie Pierrette Césarine dite Adrienne et Carolus.

Après son mariage, il se lança dans l'importation des vins d'Italie et de Sète avec son ami César Tordo. Il semble bien qu'il n'aimait guère le commerce.

Ses activités littéraires ne lui ont pas permis d'éviter les difficultés financières, puisque son fils Carolus y fait souvent allusion. D'ailleurs, la plupart de ses publications ont été éditées par souscription. Au début de l'ouvrage "Les grands évènements de Nice de 1860 à 1910" réalisé avec l'aide son ami Giletta, "le bien estimé photographe", célèbre pour ces collections de photos sur Nice et les niçois, il dresse la liste alphabétique des 170 personnes "qui ont bien voulu encourager l'auteur à publier cet ouvrage".

Sa santé laissait semble-t-il à désirer puisqu'à plusieurs époques de sa vie son fils mentionne de graves soucis de santé (sans nous donner de détails), en particulier en 1871 à son retour de guerre à la suite de l'expédition de Dijon avec Garibaldi et surtout de février 1896 à décembre 1897, soit près de deux années passées dans la propriété de Bon-Voyage que sa soeur Fanny avait mis à sa disposition.

Il obtient en 1908 à 54 ans une modeste place à la bibliothèque municipale, car il ne parvenait pas à vivre de ses chansons, grâce au sénateur-maire Honoré Sauvan, probablement en remerciements pour son Semper Crescendo, chanson composée à l'occasion du banquet offert pour sa 21ème année de mandat municipal.

Cette place lui permet d'effectuer des recherches sur l'histoire locale à partir des archives municipales et c'est ainsi qu'il publie "Les grands événements de Nice de 1860 à 1910".

En 1912, il est nommé administrateur-bibliothécaire au musée d'Histoire naturelle. Il a alors 58 ans. Son passage dans les services municipaux lui a permis de faire sortir de l'oubli les magnifiques aquarelles de fleurs, poissons et champignons de Vincent Fossat (voir l'article dans l'éclaireur de Nice du 1er mai 1923 qui qualifie à cette occasion Menica Rondelly " d'inlassable fureteur ") (site particulièrement bien documenté du Conseil général des Alpes-maritimes/rubrique : culture/archives/ presse)

Il n'a pas fait fortune de ses écrits, mais il avait de nombreux amis, en témoigne les séjours qu'il a effectués à St-Laurent-du-Var de 1903 à 1928 chez François Béranger, maire de cette commune dans sa propriété de la Bastide où il s'était construit un cabanon et où il cultivait ses fleurs.

La ville de Nice - en la personne de Jean Médecin, maire de Nice (à ne pas confondre avec son fils jacques médecin) - lui rendit un grand hommage solennellement de son vivant en 1934 à l'occasion de la pose d'une plaque en bas-relief avec gravure sur marbre agrémentée de notes de musique place Sainte-Claire, réalisée par le sculpteur Bravi à l'initiative des "amis du Vieux-Nice" et qui se trouve au début de la montée qui mène au château.

Then a year later, after being hospitalized, he died June 27, 1935 at his home 4 Passage Vaudois Temple amoung his children . He was 81.
 
His son Carolus who told the last minutes of his father with a lot of emotion, followed in the footsteps of his father. Carolus meanwhile died in 1959 and his wife Caroline Marie -Jeanne Castelli famous in Nice, to be one of the most expert midwives in the rue de la République died a year after him in 1960.
 
Menica Rondelly is buried at the cemetary of the castle of Nice with his wife and three children a few meters from Joseph Rosalind Rancher (see map of the cemetery of the castle on the site of the city of Nice: A place of remembrance , graveyards Castle Nice). On his grave , a medallion made by the same sculptor as the bas-relief of St. Clair Place and the words" Desiri coura suouanerà the Mieu oura derniera . Saluda en cantan, la terra dai Mieu Dieu, m 'envoulà ben d’amour, doun naïsse la preghiera, per faïre de cansoun, per l’amour dou boun Dieu" ( I wish , when my last hour sound, singing the land of my God , I flew up there where prayer is born, to make songs, for the love of God). This is the last stanza of his poem " Senche Cregni , Senche Detesti , Senche Aimi , Senche Desiri " on page 22 of " A Pessuc of Souveni Nissart " .
 
The city of Nice gave him a new tribute to the centenary of his birth July 4, 1954 . A speech was written at that time , published in Issue 1 of " historic Nice" ( http://www.nicehistorique.org/pge/ Page 26-27) . The Organizing Committee for the centenary celebrations of the birth of Menica Rondelly and friends of old Nice invitations were sent a copy of which was recently offered me and I scanned. It should be noted that 19 years after his death his memory was still very present among Nice .


In memory of Menica , my parents gave to my younger sister, born after this event , July 5, 1954 , the name of Dominique .
The town of St -Laurent- du- Var dedicated a street by council's decision of 28 June 1982.
Regular homage is  rendered to this or that occasion by cultural or political associations the city of Nice .

Passioned

He defended all his life long several fights , the most important were :

 

  • The defense of the language. It was of course the most important. He founded with his friend Jules Eynaudi " the Academia Rancher " to spread the language of Nice September 30, 1903 and defend the spelling nissarda as the abbot Miceù had established in grammar and especially Joseph Rosalinde Rancher in its Nemaïda .

 
He took the initiative of a subscription to edit the works of Rancher and restore his grave in the cemetery of the Castle in 1903. While the way to write the Nice language was not standardized as at present , he claimed the « language of his mother » , that is to say, his mother language, that spoke spoken in the Old Nice as opposed to grammarians who wished often for ideological reasons relate it to a particular family of languages. And in texts of Menica Rondelly some words are not spelled quite like today ( eg , Nissa la Bella, the dungeon is said and written Gioungioun , whereas today they say and write rather dounjoun . The linguists have distinguished the "vulgar" nissart , that is to say the one spoken by the people, the standard nissart used thereafter. This is explained in an article by Remy Gasiglia entitled " "Eloge de la vulgarité. Quelques remarques à propos d'un préjugé linguistique" published in February 1982 Lou Sourgentin Jan (50) :50 -54.
 
Another article in the same journal in December 1989 (89 ) : 26-28 and signed Roger Gasiglia entitled " nissardes language and literature at the beginning of the century " evokes different currents related to the Nice language. Another article lou Sourgentin April 1987 ( 76) :22 -26 titled "le vieux-Nice et ses écrivains " is a tribute to all writers quoting phrases about the old Nice.

Joseph-Rosalinde Rancher, portrait de B Mereu, gravure annexée à la Nemaïada, imprimée le 26 novembre 1823 par l'Impimerie de la Societa Tipografica, Nice

  • Rosalinde Rancher and Eugene Emanuel

Menica wanted to be the disciple of Rosalinde Rancher and Eugene Emanuel (Eugeni Emanueu). His son Carolus in the foreword to the book devoted to Menica reminds us in the first two paragraphs:
In the 19th century, the dialect Nissart  permanently written by Rancher, we then had Eugene Emmanuel.
Among there followers there was Menica Rondelly in the first third of the 20th century .
It is not sure that Menica estimated so much the son of Eugene Emanuel, Victor. In effect, although he did print a part of works of his father in 1884 Canson niçardihis remarks on the spelling of the language of Nice would have not have the agreement of Menica. In an article one of the first page of the newspaper le petit Niçois  on 17 of June, 1903, Victor Emmanuel published a chronicle in which he answered to another one. First he doubts as to the authenticity of the oldest texts written in language of nice, he argues for membership of language of Nice to the provence language and regrets an italianisation of the language of Nice. He writes The priest Miceù,  in his grammar and the poet Rancher in his Nemaiada used this irrational spelling became thanks to them  almost official!. He finished his demonstration in writing french language would have a growing influence in this country that can expected a sustainable form of spelling of language of Nice.
For Menica, Rancher and Miceù were icons and he must have been sad to read that about them. This view could be felt by a treason to the ideas of his father Eugene Emanuel,  who was attached to show in his book 'Nice and the Italy'? printed in 1860, and printed again in 1870 that Nice and Provence have always ben separate.


I did not found a lot of documents on the relations between Victor Emanuel and Menica but they were visibly strained.

When Eugene Emanuel returned to Nice in 1875 after 15 years of voluntary exile in Italy, Menica was 21 years old and when he died in 1880 he was only 26. It is unlikely that they knew before s because Menica was known as a writer since 1900 only.

The death of Eugene Emanuel has been unnoticed in the local press, at least in the Phare du littoral and The Journal of Nice. It is only in 1924 that the association friends of Rancher decided to celebrate Eugene Emanuel by organizing a subscription for a monument. The inauguration of a bas-relief  representative of the portrait of the poet took place on June 20, 1926 in the Castle. In the tribute by the city of Nice to Eugene Emanuel in 1926, Menica  was not here. Did he turn his nose up at this event or not invited?

Few documents are available on Eugene Emanuelwhile he had been one of the greatest poet of Nice. The tribute on June 20, 1926 at  the occasion of the inauguration of a bas-relief with his portrait allowed to publish a few pages in the review Nice historiqueof July-august 1926 and found at this address http://www.nicehistorique.org/
His biography also teaches primarily on his grand-father Joseph who  was an elective representative in Nice.
The life of Eugene Emanuel is quickly evoked, his garibaldian ideas  are not at all tackeled and still less his exile in Italy after the annexation. If Pierre Isnard, president of friends of Rancher talks of voluntary exile while keeping explaining the reason, the name of Garibaldi was never delivered this day.
It was a very sweetened version of the works of Eugene Emanuel which was presented through the speeches both by the local elected representatives and by cultural associations or Nice. However, he has composed songs and poems but he was also the author of historical works. I could unfortunately not see many of his texts that seem to have disappeared from Nice.

I have nevertheless read Nice and Italy, a  45 pages booklet edited by Eugene Emanuel in 1860 a few months before the annexation and re-edited in 1870 in which he argues against the annexation. In this booklet he explains that the Var river always has been the geographic limit, that the Comty was never part of Provence, in 1388 it is voluntarily that Nice chose the House of Savoy. He devoted long developments in the dialect of Nice and as Vegezzi Ruscalla that dialects represent provinces and Nice is part of the provence and Italian languages which Nice is emancipated. It is a transition insensitive and shaded between one one hand the provence language and on the other hand Piedmont an Genoa languages.

Some of the poems and songs have been re-edited four years after his death in 1884 by one of his sons, Victor. This lovely little book of 66 pages Canson Niçardibegins with 21 pages en french by his son.  It is in fact an article on the way we should write,  in his view, write the language of Nice.  15 songs are following - those  selected by Victor and "corrected" by himself, according to his own thesis, that is a method between baroque and vague spelling and the thesis of the neo-felibre. Most of these songs and poems are dedicated to his friends of the theater of the puppets of the college of the Jesuits.

  • La mieù bella Niça, canson doù sourdà niçart en Lombardia en 1848 (my nice Nice)
  • La boutilla to Mr. Benjamin Camous (bottle)
  • Lo fantom Pellegrin to Mr. Auguste Fricon (the ghost Pellegrin)
  • La chavana to Mr. J.B. Bottero (rain fall)
  • Lo trau to  Mr. Gustave Orengo (the hole)
  • L'iver to Mr. J.R. Rancher (winter)
  • Lou brandi dou village to Mr. Felix Chartroux (Dance in the village)
  • Lu revenan to Mr. the County of Maistre (ghosts)
  • Lo bal dou Plan, à Contes to Mr. Louis Bermondi (the ball of the Plan)
  • La tourta-cauda to Mr. J.B. Levamis (socca)
  • La villa segurana to Mrs Julie Emanuel (House Segurane)
  • La pesca to Mr. J.B. Sarrato (Fishing)
  • Beuluec e San Jouan (Beaulieu and Saint John cities)
  • Lo cant de l'ouvrié niçart to the Mystic Pierre Gioan (the song of the worker of Nice)
  • Lo retour(return)

At his death no tribute  was rendered to Eugene Emanuel since it was only 46 years after his death that the city of Nice finally remembered its greatest poet.

  • Protection of ideas of Garibaldi
 He joined the troops of Garibaldi at 16 years old and he has not given up these ideas later. He was at the origin of the creation of the garibaldian Union of Nice which he was the secretary until the end of his life. He was much invested in pilgrimage to Caprera and reported in De  Nissa a Caprera, with friends Garibaldian such as him at the grave of Garibaldi in the island of Caprera, northeast of Sardinia, where the hero of Nice retired and died. He was also part of the delegation who visited Paris sent by the city of Nice for the inauguration of the statue of Garibaldi on July 1907. On the 28 March 1909 the Garibaldian union witch he was the secretary ordered a commemorative stone to the first wife of Garibaldi, Anita, against the wall of the chapel of the cemetery of the Castle. He wrote a song for this event. In 1927, he created the Union of veterans.

  • Its commitment in defence of France in Burgundy with Garibaldi was not an act on impulse since he really risked his life and he lost some of his companions in the fighting.

    Among his feathful companions of legion Tanara there were apparently - Lucien Mereu, Augustin Galleani, Ignace Ribotti, François Boetto, Jean Arniseron, Jean Parentelli, Paul Ignazio, Henri Pastoris, Giorgio Imbriani, Adamo Ferraris, Lieutenant Capella and also Giuseppe Beghelli.

    When he came back from Dijon, he never renied his commitment, he wanted to discharge Garibaldi. Need to know that these volunteers, instead of beeing welcomed with honour were treated as hooligans, for example the fact that they were disarmed before  crossing the Var river and  withdraw their red shirts for crossing Nice. Between the time when they went and the time they returned the tone in the press had changed.

    Maurice Mauviel mentions Menica among the garibaldians in his important work of 655 pages devoted to Giuseppe Beghelli 1847-1877 a garibaldian from Nice, son of the spring of the people, published at Wallada in 2006.
    He told me that  in his book the red shirt in Franceprinted in Turin in 1871 Giuseppe Beghelli reports the death of  Francesco Boetto, soldier from Nice of the 2nd company wounded by a bullet in the stomach, Bagnus Serafino, soldier of the Alpes-maritimes died at Autun on January 6, 1871, Isnardi Gioanni soldier of the  battalion of Alpes-Maritimes, 1st company, dead at Autun on 5 January 1871, Parentelli Gioanni from Nice, corporal in the battalion of Hunters of the Alps-maritimes on January 22 dead at Lantenay, Pradelli Giuseppe corporal in the battalion of the a.m., Henri Pastoris (Commander to the hunters of the Alps) dead on 21 January 1871. Maurice Mauviel has developed a large number of documents on Garibaldi at this address: http://www.mauricemauviel.eu/

    Also I've found another list of names in Le petit niçoison July 5, 1907 (available online on the site of the Archives departementales). A whole page is devoted to the festivities in honour of the centenary of Garibaldi. The names of veterans present are : Achille Rossi, Honore Lauro, Louis Perino, Jean Negretti, Joseph Arezzo, Desire  Quincenet Garidelli, Cesar Bousquet, Felix Leger, J. Martin, Simon Bonivardo, Paul Zanin, Pierre Martini, Honore Carro, Victor Castelli, Joseph Raynaud, Charles Tubie, Vidallano Manni, J.B. Bonetto, Gualberto Montagni, Edward Benedetti, Ulysse Graziani, Antonio Zabbeo, Edward Schiano, Luigi Maggioli, Carlo Fenoglio, J Marussi, Luigi Martinelli, Joseph Lucheti, Virgilio Tomaso, Felix Cerutti, Cesar Chilli, Pierre Orengo, Celestin Malleti, Annibal Bailet, J Carassato, J.B. Carraro, Emilio Spotarelli, Carlo Spotarelli, Diego Cristani...

    Can see that unfortunately the list of inhabitants of Nice following Garibaldi in his  campaigns does not exist till this day, nor those who - french since a few years only - are dead for France in Dijon in 1871.

    Well, it took courage for these forgotten by History for a little reparation. Menica finally got the cross of war volunteer veteran 1870-1871, rare distinction, and managed to make build a statue of Garibaldi in Nice with a terse inscription 'To Garibaldi, his hometown'.

    I put online a few research  about some inhabitants of Nice who knew Garibaldi as Battistina Raveu, Casimir Basso and Giuseppe Bavastro, the corsair at this address: http://garibaldinice.free.fr/


  • Protection of historic sites of the city, Especially the Old-bridge for which he had a sentimental attachment. He had printed thousands of copies of a poem farewell, beautiful old-bridge printed in the newspaper l'éclaireur de Nice given out to inhabitants on 14 May 1921 and recited in front of a public protest organised a few months before it was destroyed. The  wreckers were always part of his enemies.Expansion of Port Lympia destroyed the birthplace of Garibaldi which was  on nowadays two-Emmanuel Quay, but Menica maintained  the remembrance of this house, an engraving of this building that he had printed in the last page of a little book without any relationship with Garibaldi Lou presepi Nissard
  • Catherine Ségurane He took part to get her in the history of the city with the Comitee of  traditions or Nice he created when the old bridge was to be destroyed,  and when a momument was built on November 25, 1923 opposite the St Augustin Church.

Le château de Nice en 1595 (gravure, collection personnelle), avant le siège de 1691 par Louis XIV.

  •  Protections of traditions of Nice
with the creation of a Committee which gathered a group of artists friends. In this drawing are Victor Gaglio, Menica Rondelly, Pin, E. Palmero, A Fennouille, A. Viret, R. Colombo, H. Tarelli, F. Calviera and the marquess of Castellane in medallion. This Committee replaced the one created  in 1911 that had as purpose  the maintenance of the  traditional feasts, as the Mays at Cimiez and elsewhere.


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  • The protection of the trees cut extensively in the city when new streets were built. In his book "the great events in Nice 1860-1910" he noted all the destructions of trees (tree plantations too).

And also numerous  universal values such as the honesty, the simplicity, the respect of human nature, the recognition by the work, etc

Menica à 74 ans

Pour fêter les noces d'or de Menica et de sa femme une fête fut organisée. Son fils Carolus se trouve au 2è rang (le 6è en partant de la gauche) et Charles Castelli en culottes courtes devant.