A popular Italian saying dictates that you should spend Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua dove vuoi (Christmas with your relatives and Easter wherever you want to). In that case, how about crossing the border and spending the holidays in Nice, on the French Riviera? About the same distance from Florence as Naples, you can get to Nice easily by plane, car, train or, cheapest of all, bus. Once there, you will find a different culture and customs, another language, excellent food and wine.
Nice was the birthplace of the Italian patriot Giuseppe Garibaldi and was part of Italy (or, more precisely, the Kingdom of Sardinia) until 1860, when Count Cavour ceded it and Savoy to France in return for French support for Piedmont’s annexation of central Italy. Yet its most famous landmark was constructed by the English. The Promenade des Anglais, the beautiful sea-front boulevard which skirts the Baie des Anges for about six kilometers, was built in 1820 by Englishman Lewis Way at his own expense. In the form it is today, it was inaugurated in 1931 by the Duke of Connaught, one of Queen Victoria’s sons.
But the promenade and beach are not all Nice has to offer. To help get your bearings, take a quick tour of the city on the mini-train which visits the New Town, the Old Town, the Chateau and the Port.
In the New Town, especially Avenue Médicins, large department stores like Galleries LaFayette, C&A and H&M are great for shopping.
The maze-like streets of the Old Town are full of small shops selling food, clothing, jewelry and local arts and crafts. At night, these little streets really come alive. Their heart is Cours Saleya, where there is a daily morning flower market—except on Mondays when the flowers are replaced by antiques. It is lined with restaurants and brasseries. In its midst, ‘Terèse’ makes and sells ‘socca’, a kind of flat pizza made from chick-pea flour. Start with a small serving, as this typical dish of Nice is very filling.
Whilst there has been no chateau on the hill bearing this name since 1706, the summit gives fantastic views of the city, the port and the Mediterranean and is one of the most photographed places in Europe. You can reach it on foot from the Old Town, but if you don’t feel like trudging up the 213 steps from the bottom to the observation platform at the top, you can take the lift.
The port is full of luxury yachts and small fishing boats and is lined on both sides with outdoor cafes and fish restaurants.
Wondering what else there is to do in Nice? Don’t worry. After Paris, Nice has more museums and art galleries (19) than any other town in France. Painters, sculptors, musicians and writers have long been fascinated by the Côte d’Azur and their presence is palpable there. For me, these are the ‘musts’ to visit:
The Matisse Museum in Cimiez, a suburb overlooking Nice and only a short bus ride away, is housed in a beautiful 17th-century Italian villa close to the Hotel Regina, where Matisse lived from 1917 to 1954 and discovered his famous blue colour, said to be the colour of Nice. The park and nearby ruins were part of the ancient Roman City of Cemenelum.
The Marc Chagall Museum, nearby the Matisse Museum, was constructed in 1972 and houses the largest existing collection of Chagall’s works.
St. Nicolas, or the Russian Church, in the Parc Imperial area, is a jewel. Donated by and dedicated to Tsar Nicholas II, it was built between 1903 and 1912, for the Russian aristocrats who sojourned in Nice at the time. Sumptuously decorated internally and externally, it has six onion-shaped domes and is built in the form of a Greek cross.
Life not being made of art alone, the choice of places to eat is vast. Here are my suggestions:
La Petite Maison, at 3 rue Opera, is my favourite and, apparently, also Elton John’s (he has a villa in Nice). Despite the sometimes cantankerous owner, the food is wonderful. But it is not cheap.
Flo, at 2 rue Sacha Guitry, is decorated in art nouveau style and is one of a chain of similar brasseries in France. A converted theatre, the kitchen is on the stage, so you watch what the cooks are up to!
Cafe Turin, in Place Garibaldi, is famous for shellfish (especially, sea urchins and mussels) and is a very ‘Nice’ experience.
Du Jesu, at 1 Place du Jesus, specialises in typical dishes of Nice. The food is inexpensive and good. Get there early, as it is ‘first in, first served’ and they do not take bookings.
Go to La Voglia, at 2 rue St Francois de Paul, especially if you are missing Italian food. Portions are large. In fact, the mussels are served in a bowl as big as the basin on my grandmother’s nightstand. Be warned!
Buon appetit e buon Nice.
