soon to be included in UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage?

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If there is a legendary market in Nice (Alpes-Maritimes), it is that of Cours Saleya, a French-style meeting place. “The market is popular, it’s life, it’s moving. It has nothing to do with a supermarket”says a passerby.

Include markets in French intangible heritage and why not in UNESCO? A petition has already collected 1,800 signatures. A customer is delighted: “The markets are super beautiful, there’s life, it’s friendly.” For a florist, it is also a plus for discovering local products. “We see a lot of different nationalities. We have a lot of Chinese, Japanese, northern countries too, everything that is Scandinavian. This allows them to discover our flowers,” she indicates.

Another market, this time in Dijon (Côte-d’Or). Here too, we are for it. Because for a regular, it is time to rejuvenate the clientele. Promoting this French art of selling is Sébastien Bensidoun’s challenge. He is the author of the petition and sells the market concept all over the world. “When you are in a market, for example for fruit and vegetables, you can have six, seven or even fifteen fruit and vegetable sellers, so that gives you the choice and there is competition in terms of prices. The proof is that we are in demand in other countries as consultants”explains Sébastien Bensidoun, manager of the Bensidoun Group.

After the baguette, pétanque and the Menton lemon festival, why not the markets classified as French intangible heritage? The petition must reach at least 5,000 signatures to initiate the procedure.