Nice Uncovered: Walks Through the Secret Heart of a Historic City

NIce
UNCOVERED
Walks Through the
Secret Heart of a Historic City
JEANNE OLIVER

© Jeanne Oliver 2022
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced,
or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise, without express written permission of
the author.
Book cover and interior layout design:
Shabbir Hussain, access.ideas@yahoo.com
ISBN: 9780578359366
ii

CONTENTS
About This Book 1
Introduction 2
Nice Neighborhood Map 4
History 5
Old Town: The Vibrant Heart 17
Map 66
Colline du Chateau to Port Lympia 68
Map 94
Cimiez: From Romans to Royals 96
Map 124
Promenade des Anglais: The British Influence 126
Map 144
West Nice: Parks and Mansions 146
Map 164
Promenade du Paillon: Following the River 166
Map 184
Quartier des Musiciens 186
Map 202
iii

Bibliography 204
About the Author 207
Index 208
Nice Anthem 213
iv

ABOUT THIS BOOK
Like most newcomers to Nice, I was initially so enchanted by
the seaside, it was hard to pull myself away and explore the
city beyond the Promenade des Anglais. Over the years a
different, subtler beauty emerged. The sun-dappled streets
of Vieux Nice seemed to whisper secrets of a tangled past.
Exquisite Belle Epoque palaces along the boulevards of
Cimiez conjured up an era of balls and horse-drawn
carriages. Majestic Art Deco buildings heralded a new age of
ease and elegance as Nice gracefully adjusted to modernity.
As I wandered Nice’s neighborhoods, I wondered how and
why Nice developed as it did. What are the stories behind the
many parks and monuments, churches and landmarks? In
researching this book, I learned to see the city in a new way
and that is what I hope to share with readers.
These seven essential walks cover all the sights of interest
to first-time visitors as well as previously obscure sights that
will surprise even long-term residents. Which walks you decide
to take and in what order depends on your time and interest,
but they’re organized more or less chronologically to trace
Nice’s urban development. Each walk takes from 1½ to 3½
hours, possibly longer if museum visits are included.
1

INTRODUCTION
Between snow-capped mountains and an azure sea lies Nice,
the queen of the French Riviera. The venerable old city
began as a tiny hill settlement and evolved to become a sunsoaked
metropolis of gardens and parks, splendid sea views,
architectural masterpieces and richly decorated churches.
Along the way, the city battled war and pestilence, poverty
and occupation. Yet its indomitable spirit prevailed.
The Niçois spirit is forged from its identity as a
Mediterranean city that is both part of and apart from
France. Although ruled by northern Italy for centuries,
France never fully accepted the situation. Every so often a
French ruler would swoop down to grab what they could
until Nice swung back to Italy. As a result, Nice absorbed
influences from both countries without fully belonging to
either. Even the local language, Nissart, is not quite French
and not quite Italian
Perhaps because its national identity was perpetually in
flux, Nice became comfortably multicultural, at least as
compared to its neighbors. Most of the time the city was a
welcoming environment for Jews who were being persecuted
elsewhere in Europe. When it became clear in the late 18 th
century that rich northern Europeans were looking for sunny,
healthy spots to combat respiratory illnesses, that spirit of
openness became a business plan.
By the time Nice passed definitively to France in 1860
foreign tourists were a cornerstone of the local economy.
Their tastes determined the face of the city. The British
2

NICE UNCOVERED
wanted a seaside stroll and so built the Promenade des
Anglais. When Queen Victoria chose Cimiez as her holiday
spot, chic hotels for trendsetting notables replaced sleepy
farms and pastures. Visitors needed greenery and so parks
arose throughout the city. Entire neighborhoods, such as the
Quartier des Musiciens, were developed to house wealthy
foreigners.
As Nice became ever more glamorous and exciting, its
cultural life flourished. Painters, filmmakers, writers,
philosophers, composers and architects found Nice a
congenial place to contemplate and create. Matisse, Dufy,
Chekhov, Berlioz and Nietzsche are long gone but their
creative spirit is reflected in Nice’s many public sculptures
and buildings of outstanding artistic quality.
As you stroll Nice’s neighborhoods you’ll discover Nice’s
struggles and triumphs, its fervent faith and equally fervent
pride in its traditions. Behind the iconic buildings and
ancient streets lie stories of crooks and kings, saints and
sinners, heroes, lovers and fighters. Together they wove a
rich tapestry just waiting to be discovered.
3

NICE NEIGHBORHOOD MAP
4

HISTORY
A Tale of Two Hills
N
ice's story begins around the 3rd century BC when
ancient Greeks from Phocaea established a colony
on the Colline du Chateau, probably supplanting the
Ligurian population. Little is known about this early
settlement except that it established trade links with another
Greek colony, Massalia, now Marseilles. The colony became
known as Nikaïa possibly after Nike, the Greek word for
victory. Although no remnants of the Greek settlement
remain, it was these ancient settlers who introduced olive
trees and grape vines to the region.
Romans swept through the region in the 2nd century BC
and established a military outpost, Cemenelum, on top of
Cimiez hill. Strategically located along the Via Julia between
Spain and Italy, Cemenelum became the Roman capital of
the Alpes Maritimes province. The population was about
10,000 people which included the Ligurian tribes under
Roman authority. Roman baths and an amphitheater on
Cimiez hill are vivid reminders of the Roman presence.
Meanwhile, Christianity arrived in the region. Two
Christian martyrs—Saint Pontius and Saint Reparata—left
an enduring mark on Nice's spiritual life. Saint Pontius was
beheaded in 257AD under the Emperor Valerian. Five
centuries later the influential Saint Pons abbey was built on
5

HISTORY
the site of his burial spot. Saint Reparata was martyred in
Palestine in the 3rd century and, according to legend, floated
to Nice in a boat accompanied by angels. Nice's cathedral
Sainte Réparate is dedicated to her.
By the time of Rome's fall in 476, there was enough of a
Christian community to support the construction of two
churches. Both Cimiez and the Colline du Chateau contain
remnants of these early churches that date from the 5 th
century. It's supposed that there was also a Jewish
community that dated from the 3rd century.
After the Fall
The fall of Rome marked the beginning of a high-conflict
era in Nice. First there was the Visigoth invasion. Cimiez
could not be defended and was gradually abandoned. The
Ostrogoths arrived only to be driven out when Nice became
part of the Eastern Roman empire in 550.
After the Lombard conquest of Nice in 641 Nice
became part of Liguria and recognized Genoa as its capital.
Although interrupted by devastating Saracen raids in the 9 th
century and then a period of domination by the hated
Counts of Provence, Nice remained closely allied with
Genoa. Finally in 1229 the Provencal Count Raymond
Berenger V conquered the city.
Expansion
During the 13 th century Nice’s population expanded and its
economy strengthened, largely due to the burgeoning salt
trade. Population pressures pushed inhabitants down from
the walled Colline du Chateau to the eastern part of Vieux
6