It is a sad fact of life that Nice is very under-rated. The other day I accidentally overheard a Cannes taxi-man discussing with some American tourists what was worth seeing on the French Riviera: "Monaco is an absolute must, and Cannes' is magnifique, but I wouldn't bother with Nice as there's not much to see there apart from the market - and there's one just as good here in Cannes."  Only my very British reserve prevented me from clobbering him and stepping in to dismiss his utter nonsense. Mind you, it's a fair old trot from Cannes to Monaco so he was probably counting the Euros that would fall into his lap with the cost of that journey . . .

But my reaction to his remark made me realise just how protective I'd become of Nice and found that feeling interesting. It also made me realise it was high time I wrote about this city and explained why I find it so fascinating. 

First and foremost I am mermerised by the sheer magnificence of the Baie des Anges and the striking turquoise colour of the Mediterranean Sea, that must be seen to be believed. I also simply love the deep narrow streets of Old Nice with their diversity of boutiques, art galleries, restaurants, cafés, impressive churches with their glazed-tiled domes, and the bustling farmer's market in Cours Saleya.

I'm fascinated by the few remaining Belle-Epoque villas and historic buildings that add beauty and character to this city, as well as the many wonderful façades painted in Sardinian red, dark orchre, or old rose, with their brightly painted wooden shutters. And, lastly, I adore uncovering tiny nuggets of information that are carefully tucked away, waiting to be discovered.

Nice is the city of music, culture and art, of museums, festivals and events. It is equally a city of business, commerce and trade, attracting thousands of tourists, businessmen and artists from around the world.  It also has a heart and soul for it has suffered from a turbulent past.

To avoid one interminable, long article I have split Nice up into three distinct parts beginning with possibly the most well known and best loved areas of the city: Promenade des Anglais, Cours Saleya, Castle Hill, the Old Town and Port. Part Two will feature Cimiez, le Paillon, Bellet, Place Masséna, Nice Centre and Garnier and Notre-Dame district. The third and final part will look at Nice throughout the ages, with particular relevence given to the period 1860 to 1960 when Nice underwent its greatest transformations and the consequences they engendered.

Part I - The Promenade des Anglais
If time is of the essence most people are quite content just visiting Cours Saleya with its lovely open-air market, strolling down the narrow streets of Old Nice and stopping for a moment in front of Saint-Réparate's Cathedral on place Rossetti. Time permitting they may even manage to squeeze in a short walk along the Promenade des Anglais and take in the magnificent view of the Baie des Anges. But if they had more time . . .

While I will discuss the history of the Promenade des Anglais and Baie des Anges in detail later on in this article, suffice to say for now that the Promenade was originally created to offer a pleasant stroll along the Baie des Anges for the English gentry in the 19th century.

To me it is one of the most extraordinary places I have ever seen. Its beauty lies in its beautiful sweeping curve that starts from Nice Airport all the way to Old Nice. In fact, if you count the prolongation of Quai des Etats-Unis, Rauba-Capeu and across to the Port as well as the modifications the municipality has done adding a better bicycle and footpath to Nice airport you have an uninterrupted and fantastic walk of over 7 km.

However, on a crystal clear day, the views you'll actually see stretch much further, nearly 10 km in all on either side. On the eastern side you have views of the peninsular of Cap Ferrat,  the range of Massifs such as Mount Boron, Alban, Vinaigrier, Leuze, Gros as well as the spectacular pre-Alps. On the western side you'll have views towards Nice airport, the peninsular of Cap d'Antibes and Estérel mountains in the far distance.

Personally, I think the best view of the Baie des Anges is going from west to east as you get to see the full curve of the bay. This way you keep the Mediterranean Sea on your right while experiencing vantage points along the way: Belle-Epoque villas and hotels, modern apartment buildings, restaurants, bistrots and parks, all masterly set against an enormous open azur sky and interspersed with palm trees, brightly coloured bougainvillaea, enormous aloes, scented jasmine and other wonderful Mediterranean vegetation.

The Promenade, and its main thoroughfare, has changed enormously over the years and, indeed, when I came to writing this article, renovation work was being carried out to further widen the bicycle path midway on the Promenade. Depending on which part of the Promenade you are, it can be anywhere between 5 and 15 metres wide, making this dark pink tarmac surface (similar to La Croisette in Cannes) perfect for pedestrians, cyclists, roller-bladers and joggers. Nice has close to 350,000 inhabitants and the Promenade's thoroughfare is sadly one of the main arteries in and out of the city. To-date it consists of three lanes of traffic on either side of a central reservation, itself decorated with enormous palm trees, oleander shrubs, massive Bird of Paradise plants and a variety of other colourful shrubs. 65,000 cars use it every day.

The Promenade des Anglais has always been legendary for its opulent palaces and beautiful villas. Sadly, in 1925 they began to be pulled down, one by one, as the municipality's building planners decided to offer a maximum of lodgings to a maximum of people. While it is true that some of the tall and vast concrete apartment blocks were unattractive, others were unique in style and can still be found today. As you admire some wonderful Belle-Epoque villas and hotels, take a moment to also look at some exceptional 1950s buildings.

For example, Les Loggias located at No. 87 built in 1947 by the architect Georges Dikansky is considered a classic in its style and one of his best designs.  Le Capitole (No. 51) built between 1948 and 1959 is another Dikansky creation. Palais de France was built in 1948 by Livieri and caused some argument as it protruded further out than its neighbour Le Palais de la Méditerranée.  The Savoy-Palace (No. 3) was built in 1951 by Aubert on the same site where the Hotel Savoy and le Cercle de la Méditerranée had previously existed.

By the 1960s, real estate investors carried out further demolitions and more wonderful Belle-Epoque palaces and villas were lost forever to make way for glass fronted modern apartment buildings, offices and hotels. While I lament the loss of these majestic homes, some of the ultra modern buildings at Nice Arénas are truly worthy of attention.

One in particular is the Hotel Novotel, or rather the very striking multi-coloured plastic artform (apparently the biggest one in the world) measuring 34 metres high, that can be seen stuck to the side of one of its walls. It is called Dissémination and was created by Jean-Claude Fahri in 1990 who very cleverly made it appear to detach itself from the wall in defiance of the laws of gravity. 

I'm rather embarrassed to say that I've always seen this sculpture from afar (mostly from Terminal 1's car park) and thus only managed to see the top part of it. However, for the purposes of this article I actually went across the road to photography it properly - and then realized, of course, that in fact it's a brilliant take of someone escalading the side of a wall.

It is said that during a visit by Bill Gates here in 1994 he was so taken by the sculpture that he signed a contract with Jean-Claude Fahri for a similar monumental work for his residence in Seattle two years later. Fahri's masterful work with discs and columns have earned him a restrospective at the Maeght Foundation as well as a presence at several Biennials in Venice.

Before we begin there is one last sculpture that I think is great fun and while not really part of the Promenade des Anglais, is linked to Nice airport which, in some ways, is the perfect thoroughfare. It is located on Rond-Point Le Voyageur and of course called Le Voyageur. It was created by Max Cartier in 1996 out of stone and iron bars and measures 7 metres high and weighs a massive 40 tons. He has a similar sculpture, but much smaller, just next to Scruples, the English bookshop in Monaco.

Finally I should draw your attention to two items which may catch your eye at the start of the Promenade des Anglais. The first is found close to the green, though somewhat "see-through" airport fencing at the end of the airport runway, where all the business jets are parked. As you pass you should just make out the words "Aéroport International Nice-Cote d'Azur" in large capital letters on the vertical fin of a Caravelle, and a pleasant reminder of an earlier and less hectic flying age. It is today fitted out as a Video library.

The second also concerns an aeroplane, but carries a decidely more sombre memory as it is the stele commemorating the disaster of flight Ajaccio-Nice on the 11th September 1968. The Caravelle was just approaching Cap d'Antibes and only 4 minutes away from landing at Nice airport at 10h33 that morning when it crashed into the sea. 95 people (89 passengers and 6 crew members) lost their lives. It is still the worst aerial catastrophy Nice airport has ever known since its creation in 1946.

The stele was erected the 11th September 1998 in the Jardin Ferber located between the end of the airport and the start of the Promenade des Anglais. In 2004 two marble plates were added engraved with the names of all 95 victims. Although the file has been officially closed with a open-end verdict, to this very day the families of those lost at sea are still trying to reopen the file and claim compensation. As a byline, the garden is named after Captain Ferdinand Ferber (1862-1909) an artillery officer with an absolute passion for flying who heavily promoted this new science. After numerous experimental flights in Nice he was killed while attempting to land at Boulogne-sur-Mer. A monument was erected in his honour in 1911, as was the creation of the garden as close as possible to the airport. 

Interestingly, this stele also marks the beginning of the Promenade des Anglais as the pathway (though looking exactly the same) from Nice airport to this point is actually called Promenade Edouard Corniglion-Molinier.  

Born in Nice in 1898, Corniglion-Molinier interrupted his law studies to voluntarily sign up and join the Chasseur Alpins in World War I (he lied about his age).  Once the war ended he became a journalist and cinema producer as well as a good friend to several artists, notably Nicolas de Staël. At the outbreak of World War II, despite his advancing years, he became a fighter pilot and distinguished himself numerous times in aerial combat. Enlisting in the Résistance he was captured yet managed to escape and made his way to London where he took command of the Free French aerial forces.  After the Allied landing he was promoted to Commandant supérieur overseeing the Atlantic Air Force. Back in civilian clothes, he returned to cinema production and journalism, beginning a brilliant career in politics, and was quickly elected Senator. His personality and drive found him in a succession of important governmental positions and heading numerous projects: the Estérel-Cote d'Azur motorway is one of them. He died in 1963 from a heart attack.

Our discovery begins
With the airport (and my various diversions) safely behind us, we begin our journey on the western side of the Baie des Anges.  We start at No. 139 with the very charming Villa Collin-Huovilan.

Villa Collin-Huovilan
This is one of my all-time favourites and I can still remember my astonishment at finding such a wonderful home almost devoured on either side by high-rise buildings. Out of hundreds of villas that once existed on the Promenade des Anglais, this is the last remaining survivor of a time when villas like these were built on very tiny plots of land.

Plans for this amazing Art Nouveau building with its curved façade, polychrome ceramic decorations and impressive red roof shaped like a Samourai's hat, were drawn up by Marius Allinge in 1907 for Carl  Constantin Collin (1863-1941), an eccentric Finnish millionaire. The corner carytid sculpture, created by François Louis Virieux, is a delightful scene showing a young lady playfully trying to avoid a shower of roses from two cherubs.  

In 1919 the villa was bought by Madame Nicolaïeff, the mother-in-law of Auguste Maïcon, the French aviator who became famous for flying his bi-plane under the Var Bridge in 1919. This was actually quite a remarkable act of "daring-do" as the arched bridge was 20 metres wide and 6 metres high and Maïcon's plane had a 14 metre wingspan and was 4 metres high.  

The villa has changed owners a few times over the years but apart from some renovation work, both inside and outside the building, it has kept its remarkable style and name.

Continuing on our route we next journey to the Palais de l'Agriculture located 113 Promenade des Anglais and the headquarters of the Société d'Agriculture, d'Horticulture et d'Acclimatation de Nice et des Alpes-Maritimes.

Palais de l'Agriculture
This building, designed by Paul Martin, an engineer and General Secretary of the Society, was built in 1900 and shows the distinct neo-classical style so prevalent at the time. This creamy white building, decorated with pedimental windows, ornamental mouldings and friezes, consists of a central fronton flanked by two smaller wings.  Again, the plot of land is fairly small and mostly taken up by the building itself ,although a few small palm trees and shrubs add a touch of greenery, while a wide marble staircase leads up to the main entrance.  

The Palais de l’Agriculture was inaugurated on 8 April 1901 by Emile François Loubet, the French President.  And thus the building has remained, surviving two world wars and escaping demolition or modernisation, only to fall into a sad almost derelict state; for a while large nets were placed around the sides of the building to capture any free-falling masonry. But in 2005 plans were drawn up to save this building from further decline and I’m glad to report that “the builders are in” and renovations are presently underway.

The Society was created in 1860 and counted amongst its members and benefactors the Grande Duchesse Hélène of Russia, the Prince of Monaco, Charles III, Baron de Rothschild and the Mayor of Nice. Its primary aim was the study of plants and animals brought back from various expeditions around the world. By the 1920s their research had inspired many horticulturists to increase and diversify their production, thus ranking Nice second in the world for the production of cut flowers. The Society continues to be very active today with outings, conferences and garden visits, as well as offering advice on the many different aspects of gardening on the French Riviera.

Continuing further, we come to a charming, rather squarish pale pink and white building, originally called Villa Guiglia, but better known as le Centre Universitaire Méditerranéen. It's located at No. 65 on the promenade.

Villa Guiglia
Compared to our previous building, Villa Guiglia is absolutely pristine in appearance, with clean lines and a look of fresh paint about it.  While I was taking photographs to accompany this article, I nearly missed this villa and it was only the pretty white marble statue, on its very neat grey and white pebbled forecourt, that caught my eye.

The villa was designed by the notable Niçois architect, Roger Séassal, and was once the residence of Charles Frédérik Spang, a rather rich industrialist in the steel business, who sold his business to the Carnegie Empire and then retired to Nice. It was later the property of Count Guiglia who gave it its name and also bequeathed it to the city of Nice. Much like the stunning Palais de la Méditerranée, only the façade and entrance have been preserved. The municipality first used the building as a training college for the hotel trade until it became the CUM in December 1933, when Paul Valéry was appointed its Director.

Our next visit is not to a villa but a commemorative plaque indicating the position of the Villa Romanoff-Bashkirtzeff that was pulled down in 1923. The white marble plaque, slightly hidden by surrounding shrubbery, is located just next to the Centre Universitaire Méditerranéen. Large capital letters state that here once stood the villa where Marie Bashkirtseff (1860-1884) commenced writing her journals.  

Formerly owned by the Romanoff family, in 1873 Marie’s mother chose the villa as its spaciousness could accommodate their family, cousins, governesses, chambermaids and teachers who made up their vast household. It was also the setting for the romance between Marie Bashkirtzeff and Emile Audiffret, as well as her platonic relationship with Guy de Maupassant. She was an exceptionally gifted painter and sculptor, although it is for her journals (which she began keeping at the age of 13) that she is most famous. She died of tuberculosis at the age of 26.

Just a few steps further away can be found another commemorative marble plaque although this one conveys rather chilling undercurrents.  It is dedicated to Théodor Wolff who was arrested and deported to Germany where he died in 1943. Wolff was a German Jew. He was a correspondent and later editor-in-chief of the “Berliner Tageblatt”.  Although reporting competently on French politics, economics and French society his liberal political attitude and essays on Anti-Semitism drew attention from the political right. When Hitler became Chancellor in 1933, Wolff immigrated to France and found refuge in Villa Furtado-Heine in Nice. In 1943 he was exposed by the French police, subsequently arrested by the Italian police and handed over to the Gestapo. He died under torture in Germany.

The somber grey marble plaque is attached to the gates of Villa Furtado-Heine, one of the oldest villas remaining on the Promenade des Anglais. It’s located at No. 61 and is our next stop.

Villa Furtado-Heine
This is a superb neo-classical construction: two storeys high with a small attic above, crowned by a triangular fronton and built for Lady Penelope Rivers (née Atkins) in 1787.  However, in 1789 Nice became a center of counter-revolutionary activity and the Southern Army (Armée du Midi) of the French Republic entered Nice on 29 September 1792.  With fighting all around her, Lady Rivers found herself in mortal danger and fled back to England abandoning the villa and the entirety of her belongings.  Confiscated and later occupied for 15 years by the Southern Army, the building became public property in 1800 and was sold to a wealthy property owner, Sébastien Grandis.

Grandis subsequently rented the villa out to wealthy winter residents such as Pauline Borhèse, Napoleon’s sister, and Marie-Louise de Bourbon-Parme. It was to change hands several times more before being bought by Louis Guiglia, President to the Senate of Nice, and in 1860 by Auguste Carlone, banker and founder of the Echo des Alpes-Maritimes newspaper. On his death the building was bought by the Russian, Henri Krohn, and then in 1883 by Cécile Charlotte Furtado-Heine, the daughter of a Parisian banker and wealthy widow of Salomon Heine, who gave it its name.  At her instigation and working with the architect Sébastien-Marcel Biasini, the building of an additional floor and the construction of a very imposing wrought-iron entrance gate were implemented.

Her wealth and very kind nature prompted her to finance the acquisition of an ambulance to transport soldiers wounded in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and she subsequently bequeathed her villa to the Ministry of War in 1895 so it could be transformed into a convalescence and retirement home for sick and injured officers. This generous act earned her the Legion of Honour.  It has remained so ever since and is sometimes referred to as the “Villa des Officiers”. The villa and its park were classified an Historic Monument in 1961.

We have one last villa to look at before we come to the most celebrated icon of the Promenade des Anglais, if not the French Riviera – the Negresco Hotel. Before we do, let’s quickly look at another very charming villa located at No. 55, which once belonged to the Count and Countess Starzinky.

Villa Starzinsky
The villa was designed and built in 1873 for the Count and Countess Starzinky by the architect Sébastien-Marcel Biasini. Its pretty façade was decorated with four muses which are still visible today. In 1912 the villa was bought by Edouard Dumont who enlarged the villa by adding extra floors. It was next bought by the Buffon family. As a byline, it should be noted that Biasini was a very popular Niçois architect and designed 50 villas including Villa Les Palmiers in Nice, Villas Fructidor and Beau-Site on Mont-Boron, as well as planning and developing the district of Cimiez and the colossal Excelsior Regina Hotel, which you'll discover in Part II of my article.

If you’re interested in sculptures, you may like to see a rather impressive one that adorns the side of the Sheraton Elysée-Palace just round the corner on rue Honoré Sauvan and said to represent Juno, or Hera, queen of the gods.  

This very modern hotel was built in 1987 and has a stunning 26 metres tall bronze statue by the Niçois artist Sacha Sosno.  It is an impressive tour de force. I can't make up my mind if this voluptuous creature is shyly peeping out from her hiding place, or holding back the granite blocks she seems to be encased in.

Sosno's real name is Alexandre Sosnowsky. He was born in 1937 in Riga (Estonia) to a Baltic father and a Niçoise mother. In 1945 the family settled in an apartment at the Excelsoir Regina Hotel where in 1948, they would meet their next door neighbour, Henri Matisse.

After studying for several years in Paris, Sosno returned to Nice before making a trip round the world (1974-1977) on his yacht, Go West, were he began his first sculpture sketches. Returning to France for a year, he then traveled to India in 1978 to complete his first works in bronze.  Today he lives and works in Bellet, in the hills above Nice, where he has settled in the heart of a vineyard.

As you further explore Nice with us, you’ll come across another of Sosno’s sculptures:  La Tete Carrée (a 10,600² square head) which houses the Louis Nucèra Library located Place Yves Klein and if you look carefully when leaving the Arénas car park after visiting either Parc Floral Phoenix or the Musée des Arts Asiatiques, you'll find another of his sculptures - this time a small bronze head of Juno caught between two small blocks of granite. 

Our detour over, let's now discover one of the most mythical buildings on the French Riviera - the Negresco Hotel.