We have been taking summer vacations in Nice, France for over 20 years now. This summer is no different, though this year we are spending six weeks in Nice, the longest time ever. Growing up in South Florida, I have always had a desire to be near the water and Nice is the perfect place to get plenty of sun and hang out around the beach.
Nice is the 5th largest town in France with close to 350,000 people. It is the largest city on the French Mediterranean coast after Marseilles. The climate is great – we have been here for one week and the temperature has remained in mid-70s. It’s likely to get hotter in July and even hotter in August but a warm coastal breeze makes it bearable. There is also plenty of sun in this part of France – artists including van Gogh and Matisse have been rumored to have commented on how conducive the bright sunshine is in this part of the world for their painting.
The food in this part of the world is pretty good too. Nice has been part of Italy at least two times in its past. In around 1860, it finally became part of France permanently following a referendum. So, Nice has a lot of Italian influence in its architecture, its food and its culture. Nice also has a large North Africa influence being just across the Mediterranean from Algeria, among other countries. France’s history with Algeria also has influence the culture of Nice.
Nice and the surrounding area has also been the home of many artists. Vincent van Gogh painted in Arles and there is museum dedicated to his work in St. Remy, about 350 miles west of Nice. Paul Cezanne was born in and died in Aix-in-Provence, a good-sized town about 100 miles west of Nice. A museum containing some of his paintings, Musee Granet, and his studio, are both open to the public in Aix. Pablo Picasso worked in Antibes, about 10 miles west of Nice, and there is a beautiful museum dedicated to his work there with a wonderful view of the Mediterranean. There is a museum devoted to the works of Ferdinand Leger in Biot, about 5 miles west of Nice. Nice has art museums dedicated to the works of Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall. Nice also has many other art museums including the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, the Musee des Beaux-Arts, and the Musee de la Photographie Charles Negre.
Nice had been modernizing its transportation system over the past ten years or so. In 2007, a five and half mile light rail tram that runs generally from the north part of town through the downtown area and to the eastern neighborhoods. Another tram line is being built now that will run from the port area jut east of downtown to the airport in the wet part of town with a number of stops accessible to downtown neighborhoods.
I will post more about food and transportation in future posts over the next 6 weeks. Nice is primarily a city for tourists wanting to worship the sun. The many restaurants and activities all cater to these tourists. I’ll post more about food and things to do here over the next few weeks also.
My last night in Nice will be the first anniversary of the July 14, 2016 when a truck driven through a Bastille Day celebration, killing 87 people. I will post more about that as that anniversary gets closer.