For some, Nice is a jumping-off point to many much-loved hotspots in the South of France: happening Marseille, dressed-up Antibes, and glitzy Saint-Tropez, to name a few. To others, it’s a destination in its own right – a coast-hugging city that feels more fitted to Liguria than Le Sud.
Historically speaking, Nice belonged to the Piedmont and Turin in the 17th century and the Duchy of Savoy before attaching to France in 1860. But before then – before Nietzsche spent his days walking the streets and Matisse found inspiration in an apartment in the Cimiez or Queen Victoria fell madly in love sojourning the La Promenade des Anglais and famously saying on her deathbed in 1901 “Oh, if only I were at Nice, I should recover” – it was a Greek founded settlement 400 BC.
