| NICE |
| NICE, the Italian |
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NICE - Front de Mer
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NICE - Hotel Negresco
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| NICE, the Italian beacon of the Cote d’Azur and fifth town in France per population. Nice is both elegant and fashionable. |
 NICE - Hotel Negresco |
 NICE - Palm trees and Palace
In the 30’s many artists, Jews and communists fled to Nice in the wake of rising fascism. They were influential in introducing art and culture to the town which led to the opening of numerous museums and art galleries.
Today, due to wide-range projects such as the Acropolis, Sophia-Antipolis and the international airport, the industrial, scientific and high technology sectors have expanded.
To See:
CIMIEZ, is the chic hill of Nice.
In BC 1er century, the rich Romans came and founded a small town called Cémelenium. After the barbarian invasions in the 5th century the town was abandoned. In the 16th century a Franciscan community arrived and took up residency. From the 18th century onwards, this hill became the winter playground for the aristocracy and upper-class.
The arenas built between the 1st and 3rd centuries were of modest proportions and even though they have deteriorated one can still see the entrance to the corridors and sockets for the poles destined to hold the canvas or awnings to protect the spectators from the sun. Today, the arenas are used for the summer Jazz Festival.
The Archeological Museum houses all the objects - pottery, mosaics, jewellery - found during the excavations carried out at Cimiez and the surrounds. Interesting as they give us an insight into the daily life of the inhabitants of Cémelenium during the Roman epoch. On the ground floor of the Museum there is a magnificent mask from Silène. This site also consists of a palaeo-christian site and an assembly of thermal baths which reflect the high level of technology of this civilisation in the 3rd century.
The Franciscan monastery, constructed on the foundations of a 9th century Benedictine convent, was rebuilt by the Franciscans in the 16th century. They restored the existing church and constructed a small monastery.
The Saint Marguerite des Anges church houses three major works of primitive Nicoise art by Louis Brea - a pieta dated 1475, a crucifixion dated 1512, and the Deposition painted with his brother between 1515 and 1520.
The Franciscan museum evokes franciscanism in Nice and the world from the 3rd century to today. From the monastery gardens, planted with lemon trees and flowers, you will have a wonderful view over the town.
The small Cimiez cemetery, dating from 1840, is the burial place of Matisse, Raoul Dufy, Trachel and the writer, Roger Martin du Gard.
The Matisse Museum is situated in a magnificent 17th villa overlooking the sea, inspired by the Genoese red and ochre houses and surrounded by a beautiful garden. The villa houses around 30 canvases, fifty bronzes and several series of drawings by this painter.
The Marc Chagall Museum was specially designed by the architect, Andre Hermant, to hang the works of Chagall. Taking his inspiration from the Bible, the seventeen large canvases contain a biblical message.
THE OLD TOWN has a feeling of Italy. Old Nice was built during the 17th and 18th centuries in an austere style where colour took the leading role. It is bordered by the hill of the château, the Jean Jaures Boulevard and the Cours Saleya. As you stroll through the old town with its small lively streets snaking in and out of time, delicious cooking smells from the houses wafting through the air, it is easy to imagine that you could be in Italy.
The Cours Saleya, an elegant and fashionable thoroughfare during the 18th century, is pretty and authentic and well known for its flower markets and, a little further on, fruit and vegetable markets. All very Mediterranean.
The facade of the 18th century Saint-Francois de Paul church is austere but the interior is very harmonious with a pretty gilt campanile. The Belle Epoch facade of the Opera has a superb glass awning. This is an institution where prestigious singers are invited for concerts and opera. Every Saturday at the Place of the Opera a fair is held where you can buy old books. Here you will see a remarkable 18th century Clock tower, the Palais Rusca and the Palais Spitalieri de Cessole featuring a superb wrought iron door and balcony.
The Saint Reparade Cathedral situated at Place Rossetti - one of the more charming places of the old town - was built in 1650 with a number of transformations during the 18th and 19th centuries. Its superb Genoese glazed tiled dome gleams under the sun. The 19th century baroque facade has certain elegance but it is in the interior that the building shows off its baroque splendour with the choir and high altar. The Palais Lascaris was constructed in 1643 by the Lascaris Vintimille, one of the oldest Niçoise families. Built in the architectural style of a Genoese palace the extravagant baroque facade is ornate with richly decorated balustrades around the balconies. Walk up the interior monumental staircase and cast your eyes upwards at the ceilings decorated with mythological scenes. Today the palace houses the town’s collections. The Saint Martin Saint Augustin church - one of the oldest parishes dating from 1510 - was razed to the ground and rebuilt in the 17th century. In 1514, Luther celebrated a mass in this church and Garibaldi was baptised there. The interior is characteristic of baroque art and in the choir there is a pieta attributed to the Niçois painter, Louis Brea.
The Musee d’Art Moderne and Contemporain (MAMC) consists of four Carrara marble towers linked by glass bridges, designed by the architect, Yves Bayard. The first floor holds temporary exhibitions and the second floor, a permanent exhibition of paintings. Nice is a 20th century artistic window as numerous artists were born or lived in this town. In the beginning of the 60’s it was the most creative artistic foyer in Europe. The list of famous painters presented at MAMC is impressive – Yves Klein, a child of the region, Ben, Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, Arman, Christo, Cesar…. as well as painters from the Nice school. On the 3rd floor you will find the American artists, notably Keith Haring and Andy Warhol. After you have browsed through the Museum, go to the terrace as there is a fabulous view.
The Gesu Church or Saint Jacques Church is an ancient Jesuit church built in the 17th century inspired by the Gesu of Rome and features a unique, slightly raised nave in gilt-covered stucco and frescos. Pay a visit to the vestry for its beautiful ceiling and 17 stalls in solid walnut dating from the 17th century which house the treasures of the church. The 17th century Sainte Rita Chapel or Saint Giaume, built on the ruins of a building from the Middle Ages, belongs to the Order of the Carmelites and is highly revered. Dedicated to Saint Rita, patron of those in distress, this Italian saint brought over by the transalpine immigrants, has a large Niçois following. The interior of the chapel is Italian – meaning very ornate with gilt everywhere.
The Chapel de la Misericorde or the Penitents Noirs, constructed in 1736 by the Piémontais architect, Bernardo Vittone, is a baroque work of art. The 17th century Cais de Pierlas is a beautiful house in tones of ochre. Matisse lived in this villa between 1921 and 1928.
The château or one should say the hill of the château as it was destroyed by the army of Louis 14th in 1706. Nothing remains except the history as this site is the cradle of Nice. The Greeks established a trading post in the BC 1er century, then the Romans arrived and during the Middle Ages, the town became the center of concentration. The ruins of Saint Marie cathedral are from this epoch. During the Restoration the hill was transformed into a garden and from the summit there is a magnificent panoramic view over old Nice, the hills and beach.
The Bellanda tower built in the 19th century on the remains of a medieval tower of the citadel was for a while inhabited by the famous composer, Hector Berlioz. Today it is the National Marine Museum.
LE FRONT DE MER - The English promenade
The name was given by the English colony who have frequented the Cote d’Azur since the 18th century, and who created the path that hugs the immense sweeping curve of the Baie des Anges. Over time, modifications were made and in 1931 it was inaugurated by the son of Queen Victoria. Apart from a few contemporary additions such as the Wilmotte chairs, the promenade has conserved its 30’s aspect.
The Asiatic Art Museum, designed by the Japanese architect, Kenzo Tange, resembles the traditional hat of a young wife delicately posed on the lake in Phoenix Park. A fascinating voyage through four civilizations - Japan, China, Cambodia and India - where paintings, sculptures and ceramics are spiritually placed for meditation.
The Hotel Negresco, with its Belle Epoch architecture stands as a magnificent witness to a splendid past in Nice. Built in 1912 for a Romanian called Henri Negresco, the hotel has a superb glass canopy by Gustave Eiffel. A 5 meters high crystal chandelier from Baccarat, weighing more than a tonne hangs in the middle. The hotel is a veritable museum where you will see the largest carpet in the world woven by Aubusson and works of art by Arman, Cesar, Picasso and others.
Palais Massena, built in 1900 and modeled on Italian villas from the 1st Empire, was turned into a museum in 1921 for the purpose of showing the local history. The French Albert 1st garden, created between 1861 and 1890, is planted with exotic trees and features a pretty fountain signed Volti. Outdoor concerts are often held here.
The Russian Orthodox Saint Nicolas Cathedral, designed in 1912 by a Russian architect, is the largest Orthodox building to have been built outside Russia. It symbolises the importance of the Russian community in the 19th century on the Cote d’Azur. The Musée des Beaux-Arts, another witness to the Russian community, is a ravishing villa built in 1878 for the Ukrainian Princess Kotschoubey. It was transformed into a museum in 1928 to house major paintings from the 17th century to the 19th century.
The Natural History Museum was the first museum in Nice. Interesting if you are fascinated by minerals, cephalopoda, and stratigraphy. The Musée de Paleontolgie de Terra Amata, situated on a prehistoric site, is a reconstruction of the excavated site complete with dwellings and various stone tools. The Acropolis Palais des Congres opened in 1984 - a gigantic body of glass and steel housing contemporary paintings and sculptures of which the most famous is the thumb by Cesar.
Outside the town, situated in a pretty park is the elegant château Saint Helene in which the Musée d’Art Naif A. Jakovsky is installed. It was created thanks to a donation of 600 canvases signed Anatole Jakovsky, art critic and defender of naive art.
Finally, don’t forget that Nice is also a seaside resort with 8 kilometers of beaches in the center of the town. The beaches are pebbly and well equipped with showers, toilets, spaces for volley-ball, and other fun sports. |
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