Nice is the 5th of the largest French cities located in southern France on the Mediterranean coast. It is really situated between Marseille and Genoa. Nice is well-known as a center of the famous Côte d’Azur. Its population is about 1200 000 people.
Nice is very old: it was founded around 350 BC by the Greeks from Massilia, now ? Marseille. The city has a rich history. First, it was a large Ligurian trading port compared with the Roman Cemenelum. By the way, the ruins of Cemenelum you can see in Cimiez, one of the Nice districts. Then in the seventh century the city became a part of the Genoese League and successfully fought with Saracens. Nevertheless, in the eighth century Saracens pillaged and burned the city and ruled it till the tenth century. Nice played a large role in the Italian and Savoy history during the Middle Ages, then in the wars between Francis I and Charles V. Nice suffered very hard in 1543 from the united forces of Francis I Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha. After 1600 Nice was under duke of Guise, then became a part of France, again belonged to Savoy? Louis XIV ruled it from 1691 till 1731, Napoleon I ? from 1792 till 1814. After 1814 it became the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont, and again became a part of F rance after 1860 (Napoleon III). Nice is a native city of Giuseppe Garibaldi.
Nice became a famous resort after Napoleon wars because of its clement climate and warm winters. The Russian empress dowager Alexandra Feodorovna came here in 1856, and soon a large Russian colony (about 400 Families) was in Nice. The beautiful Saint Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral was finished in 1912.
Formula One started in Nice in 1932 (to be exact, Formula Libre that later transformed to Formula One).
Places of interest:
- Monument Aux Morts
- Promenade des Anglais
- Hotel Negresco
- Saint Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral
- Place Masséna
- Place du Palais
- The port
- Cours Saleya
- The botanical garden: Jardin botanique de la Ville de Nice
France Destinations