You need to be a poet to describe the main thing in Nice, namely its romance and charm. Not the sights of Nice, which are not lacking, but the poetry concluded in this place, where gloomy days are rare and the sun almost always shines, evokes a love of life in the heart.
A brief history of the city
The Greeks literally “rummaged” the entire coast of the Mediterranean Sea and were the first to establish a colony on these shores, which was named Nicaea in honor of the goddess of victory, Nika. It was almost five hundred years before the birth of Christ. Then the Romans ruled here, as the place was a convenient port. Later, these lands in the X century added to their possessions the counts of Provence. The kings of France always remembered Nice. She entered the sphere of their interests. This city became French only in 1860. Nice gained world fame about a hundred years ago.
Russia and Nice
The Russians discovered the Cote d'Azur around 1770 when, under the command of Admiral F. Ushakov and the Orlov brothers, a Russian squadron was here for the first time, and then left to defeat the Turks in the Chesme battle. Much later, in 1856, the widow of Emperor Nicholas I Alexander Fyodorovna spent the winter here in the town of Villefranche. Russian aristocrats, poets, artists reached for this small town. Nice has become a winter resort for them. A magnificent St. Nicholas parish cathedral was built in the city.
This monument of Russian architecture is a landmark of Nice and Europe. It is visited by more than 200 thousand people during the year. Nice in a villa of st. Anna lived 41 years old as the morganatic widow of Alexander II. But the city attracted not only aristocrats of famous families: the Vyazemsky, Golitsyn, Baryatinsky, Gagarin, but also the artistic intelligentsia. V. Kuchelbecker, N. Gogol, A. Herzen, F. Tyutchev, I. Aivazovsky, I. Levitan, K. Korovin. What names! You will not list all. After the revolution, I. Bunin and B. Zaitsev, I. Odoevskaya and V. Ivanov, Yu. Annenkov and M. Aldanov came here, as well as many other prominent figures of Russian culture. So for a Russian tourist, the sights of Nice are not an empty phrase!
Overview of the most interesting places
Nice is a big city, it is located along the Bay of Angels. From the north and west winds it is protected by the Alps. Therefore, winters are mild, and summers are dry and hot. Its population is more than three hundred and a half thousand inhabitants and annually receives more than 4 million tourists. Nice has a university, several business centers, many museums, the National Theater, opera, concert halls, a conservatory, and a regional library. Arriving here, you need to walk along the endless Promenade des Anglais, lined with palm trees, admire the palaces, hotels and the turquoise-colored sea, and then wrap yourself in a lively cheerful old city that preserves the features of Italian architecture. Its streets are narrow and winding. The walls of the houses are painted in warm reddish-orange colors. There will be many baroque churches.
What aromas exude open flower shops and cafes! And how many fruits are here! Further on the street are picturesquely exposed for tasting shrimp, oysters, lobsters! If you stop and sit down, then you will not come off, and you will drink it with your favorite drink of Remarque - golden calvados! Wandering through the old city, the tourist will meet the ancient and more modern sights of Nice: the Palace of Justice, the City Hall, the Cathedral, as well as the main square Marché aux Fleurs - an amazing colorful market where peasants sell vegetables and fruits, olives, homemade cheeses, sausages and pastes fish.
Castle hill
In fact, it’s just the remains of an old blown up fortress on a mountain 100 m high, which offers a stunning panoramic view of the whole city. No one will refuse to take pictures from memory. In addition, this is a beautiful park with cacti, which have an incredible length of thorns, spreading palm trees and a wonderful waterfall. Here you can find the Shipping Museum with ship models and shipping tools.
Museums
First you can see the Negresco Hotel. Because it is not only very famous for its carpet, woven in the middle of the XVII century, but also for its guests. In it lived M. Dietrich and E. Hemingway, Coco Chanel and F. Sagan, S. Dali and the Beatles. In addition to it, in Nice there is the Massen Museum, which presents the history of the city and the work of local painters, the Museum of Modern Art, which presents works by avant-garde artists, the M. Chagall Museum and the Matisse Museum.
Church of the Immaculate Conception
The Notre-Dame-du-Port Church has been in the port of Nice since 1853. Her neoclassical style is successfully complemented by Corinthian columns. As in any Catholic church, there are benches for parishioners, and the walls are painted by the artist E. Costa.
Even such splendor was once just a port ward, which was surrounded by poor shacks and fisherman houses. Undoubtedly, before each going out to sea they came here with prayer, and upon returning with modest gifts. Now this is a solid area in which a respectable audience lives.
Museum of the artist from Vitebsk
The Marc Chagall Museum in Nice was opened in 1973 while the painter was still alive.
Its exposition began with 17 paintings on biblical themes. Three halls also contain sketches, drawings, prints, lithographs, stained glass, mosaics, five sculptures and other works by the artist. Chagall’s work is not easy to understand, but avant-garde lovers will find for themselves many interesting topics, in addition to general aesthetic pleasure. The museum is located in the center of Nice next to the Paradisio Park. After exploring the exposition, you can take a walk in this magnificent park.
Opera and Ballet Theatre
Nice Opera House was opened in 1885. The premiere was "Aida" D. Verdi. The theater enjoys the well-deserved fame of one of the best opera theaters in France.
This beautiful building is located on St. Francois-de-Paule, 4–6. Magnificent acoustics, gilded lodges, red velvet furnishings, a luxurious chandelier and a painted ceiling - everything here sets up for a solemnly festive perception of musical performances. There are about a hundred of them in the repertoire. Since 1947, they began to stage not only operas, but also ballets.
Building on a hill
Nice Observatory is located on the hill of Mont Gros. It was built by architects G. Eiffel (dome) and S. Garnier (building), it belonged to the University of Sorbonne.
At one time, the observatory was desolate, but after it was put in order in 1988, it became one of the world centers for the study of space. It hosts interesting excursions.
And we will end the description of the city on the Cote d'Azur with a festive carnival, which is held annually in February-March, when Nice is decorated with bright colors and flowers. This large carnival is one of the oldest in the world.