 From the late eighteenth century onwards, the créme de la créme of Europe’s wealthy aristocracy adopted Nice as its home from home. The pioneer were the English, who understandably preferred blue skies, sunshine and Mediterranean bathing to the fog, rain and stormy seas of their homeland. They wasted no time in building tourist infrastructure with the result that many of the grand old hotels still bear very Englishsounding names such as the Westminster. Nice’s most famous street bears further evidence of their impact. The Promenade des Anglais (English Walkway) curves gracefully all the way from the airport to the ancient heart of Nice, the Castle Park which was the site preferred by another set in incomers − Greek traders − who founded the settlement of Nikea here 1900 years before the English arrived. To this day, the Castle Park is Nice’s most popular tourist attraction and no visit is complete without a climb to the top to take in the view across the city’s rooftops and church towers.
French with a russian accent  Not far behind the English were the imperial Russians, whose love affair with Nice has lasted 150 years and is stronger than ever, celebrated this year by a series of exhibitions. The most obvious evidence of Nice’s Russian community is the large Orthodox church hidden behind the main train station, its onion domes and icons looking a little out of place among palm trees and cacti. Tsar Alexander II built it in memory of his son Nicolas who died in Nice of a fever in 1865 aged just 21. Happily, the only fever Russians are catching in Nice these days is property fever. You only have to see the ‘Russian spoken here’ signs outside real estate agencies to realize that New Russian money in pouring into the French Riviera.
And why not? After all, this is a town with what many people would think of as the perfect lifestyle. First there’s the climate − mild in winter, glorious in summer but always with a gentle sea breeze to stop the heat becoming oppressive. Look inland while you swim in the sea and you’ll see the snowcapped Alpes Maritimes less than an hour’s drive away, meaning it’s possible to ski in the morning and sunbathe in the afternoon. After all that activity you’ll definitely have an appetite, and once again you’ll be glad you’re in Nice, which can fill you up with much more than its famous Salade Nicoise. Seafood such as bouillabaisse (a type of fish soup) is outstanding, with the best seafood restaurants located around Place Charles Felix and the Port. In many cases their doors are just metres away from the sea, so the latest catch is brought in via the back door while customers enter through the front door and the two meet somewhere in the middle after a quick introduction by the chef. Fish doesn’t come much fresher.  Nice’s culinary character also draws on the aromatic herbs of Provence, local olive oil, goat’s cheese and of course, wine. There’s a strong Italian influence, too, which is most in evidence if you stroll along Rue Sainte-Reparte in the Old Town where pasta masters and ice cream makers offer every imaginable shape, size and colour of their products. Many street signs are in both French and Nissart, a dialect combining French and Italian elements.
In fact Nice has been under both French and Italian rule many times in its history. Giuseppe Garibaldi, the man who led Italy to independence in 1861 was born in Nice (‘Nizza’ in Italian) but even he couldn’t stop his hometown being handed over to France as part of a deal to secure Italian statehood. He is still remembered with pride as his statue in Place Garibaldi proves. Then there’s culture. The quality of light in Nice has been attracting artists for over a century (maybe the quality of the wine had something to do with it as well) and the city still takes culture very seriously. Art of living  Henri Matisse spent nearly 40 years living in various hotels on the Promenade des Anglais while he turned out his masterpieces, many of which can be seen at the Matisse Museum in the wealthy Cimiez suburb. No Matisse fan should miss the chance to see one of his greatest works, the church at Vence (about 20km from Nice) in which his genius was allowed full play, designing and executing everything from the stained glass to the wall decorations and priests’ robes. It’s breathtaking, even for someone without religious belief.
Matisse’s influence was such that Nice became an artistic capital to rival Paris. A huge but very accessible Museum of Modern Art contains a collection of avant garde works by local artists Yves Klein and Robert Sosno (who was actually born in Riga) along with international stars such as Andy Warhol and Joan Miro. Other sculptures are dotted around town and such is Nice’s obsession with art that even the gleaming tramway system plays host to various artworks. A guided tour departs every Friday at 7pm from the Massena tram stop. Despite being France’s fifth-largest city, Nice is remarkably easy to negotiate. The suburbs extend for kilometres up the hills and valleys, but the centre is compact and pedestrian friendly. The heart of the city is the Old Town, a roughly triangular area characterised by red roofs and shady alleyways festooned with flowers. Every so often a little square appears unexpectedly around a corner, or a baroque church topped by Nice’s typical multicoloured pantiles rises among lines of washing hung out to dry from high windows.  If you fancy a day trip, you’re spoiled for choice. A quick train or bus ride on the clean and cheap public transport system will take you to Monaco to watch millionaires, Cannes to seek out film stars during the film festival or Grasse to visit the factories of the world’s most famous perfumes.
Less well known but perhaps even more pleasant is Menton, a town near the Italian border with a microclimate that allows lemons to grow all year round from trees on every corner. In contrast, heading inland will bring you to the wild slopes of the hills that hem Nice in. This rocky, scrubby landscape of the Mediterranean coast has a special name − ‘garrigue’ − and possesses its own brand of rugged beauty. It’s excellent hiking country with well-marked footpaths linking hilltop villages. Once the day heats up, whole mountainsides exude the fragrances of wild rosemary, sage, juniper and lavender, making even a quick stroll an intoxicating experience. On a clear day the view across the bay of Nice extends to Corsica. So take a piece of France, add a dash of Italy, a pinch of English, a hint of Greek and a Russian seasoning and you have Nice − the perfect recipe for a tasty break. | 
