On the corner of rue Droite and rue de la Loge in the old town of Nice you'll find a black cannon ball dating back from 1543. It is placed well above eye level and easy to miss if you didn't know it was there.
Whenever Savoy was at war with France, Nice was immediately occupied. In August 1543, it was besieged by the troops of the French king Francis I, allied this time with the Turkish fleet of Admiral Barbarossa against the Emperor Charles V. (As a byline, Nice only became part of France in 1860.)
The city was taken, but the castle pursued its heroic resistance, as symbolized by the legendary figure of Catarina Ségurana, a washerwoman who is said to have participated in the city's defense. The town was freed a month later upon the arrival of an army mustered by a Savoyard duke, Charles III.
Other cannon balls can be found in Nice too. Three are visible on Place Garibaldi, on the front of the Chapelle du Très-Saint-Sépulcre-des-Pénitents Bleus.
Home 
Cote d'Azur Insolite Cote d'Azur Insolite Canon Balls in Old Nice
Cote d'Azur Insolite Cote d'Azur Insolite Canon Balls in Old Nice
Canon Balls in Old Nice
Video: Robert V. Camuto
Just in !
Latest A-Z
 Columbus International Category: Car & Bike Hire Created: Jul 13, 2010 |  PaintingRiviera Category: Artistic Courses Created: Feb 23, 2009 |
| Show more... |
Radio
- Riviera Radio
Serving English speakers across the Riviera. - Radio France
Listen to the news of France's number 1 radio station - France Inter
Great radio station with news and interesting features - France Culture
Learn about French culture while listening to talk radio
Latest Book Reviews by Martin Hills
Corkscrewed by Robert V. Camuto
Adventures in the new French wine country
Julia Child: My Life in France
If, like me until recently, you had never knowingly heard of Julia Child, it will help to understand that she was, so to speak, America’s answer to Elizabeth David. It was she who, after the second world war, introduced the dishes and techniques of French cooking to, principally, her countrywomen. I had been aware of, but never read, her encyclopaedic work Mastering the Art of French Cooking, but could not have told you who had written it (or even that it was an American book). In fact, Julia Child later parted company from Elizabeth David: while David went on to explore the cuisines of Italy and other Mediterranean countries, Child stuck to that of France but developed her teaching skills into pioneering television cookery programmes decades before they came to clog up our TV channels on a daily basis.