Vieux-Nice, Côte d’Azur.
Narrow canyoning alleyways make up the winding labyrinth of any old town’s footprint, however Vieux Nice captures the spirit like none other.
The city’s old town has been inhabited continuously since the 4th century BC Greek settlement of Nikaia, where we derive the contemporary city name from. Today the wider city has grown exponentially from those humble fishing origins but the old town keeps a firm grip on its strong individualistic identity just as it did in the days of those first Hellenic settlers, the street names proudly written in two languages the common French and the classic local Nissart dialect (niçart).
The towering tenements which line the streets stretch into the sky, the lives of their inhabitants bursting from the windows, fruit and flowers grown in planters and washing drying in the heat of the day. A sense of uniform decorates the walls, pale yellows, oranges, peaches and creams setting the tone for the easy summer days to be enjoyed strolling the cobbled streets, eating your way through the culinary talents of Nice’s illustrious population of chefs.
You can buy everything France has to offer down the shadowed alleys, the best bread and patisserie creations I’ve had the pleasure to consume copious amounts of, Provençal spices galore, lavender from the fields of the famous Plateau de Valensole, stunning clothing to furnish your summer wardrobes, pastel Macaroons and crepes, crepes and more crepes!
Vieux Nice sits at the base of the dominating Castle Hill which holds Le Chateau on a pedestal watching over the city lying beneath, dividing the city in two parts, the Old Town and western city sprawl and the eastern port side stretching off towards Villefranche-Sur-Mer, Èze and Monaco along the coast.
A journey down Vieux Nice’s cobbled streets and tight alleyways can feel like a journey back in time, it doesn’t take much imagination to look back and see how the town must have been 500 years ago when the artisans of southern France would commune in the squares and drinking houses.
