Nice, the largest and most important city on the French Riviera, is one of the favorite cities of Israelis, and rightly so. It has wonderful architecture, excellent food, azure blue sea and not a little to see. One of the most important places in Nice is the old town, and anyone who has visited it cannot help but feel as if they have accidentally crossed the border and arrived in Italy.
Yes, everyone around you will speak French, but the architecture and food are very reminiscent of France 's neighbor to the east. That's because for most of its long history, Nice was not a French city at all, but belonged to a noble family that eventually gave Italy its kings.
How did Nice become an “Italian” city, how did it become French again, and most importantly, how did it become one of the most beloved resort cities in France? This article will answer all of these questions, giving you the tools to understand what you see while strolling through the old town or the “Promenade des Anglais,” and thus enhancing your trip.
Ancient Nice: The first tourists were here 400 years ago
As far as we know, although there are remains of ancient humans who lived in the area about 400 years ago, the first documented settlement was founded in 350 BC by the Greeks and was called Nikaia, after the goddess of victory. This name eventually evolved into the name we know today, Nice.
In fact, if you want to be precise (and impress your friends on the trip), the first tourists to Nice were not rich Englishmen, but prehistoric elephant hunters. At the archaeological site of Terra Amata in the city, evidence has been discovered of seasonal camps of ancient humans who came to enjoy the beach – and especially the meat – hundreds of thousands of years ago. It seems that the attraction to beachfront real estate in Nice is an ancient genetic thing.
The Greeks were replaced by the Romans, who founded a settlement called Cemenelum, which would later become Cimiez, one of the most visited neighborhoods in Nice (apart from the old town, of course). For many years, there was a rivalry between the “Greek Nice” on the coast, a city of merchants and seafarers, and the “Roman Cimiez” on the hill, a city of soldiers and officials. In the end, as in most cases, the sea won.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, Nice became an independent city, and during the 7th century it formed an alliance with Genoa, but a century later the troubles began.
The greatest threat to Nice in the early Middle Ages (8th–10th centuries) were the Saracens, Muslims who came from North Africa and invaded southern Europe. Initially, in 729, they besieged Nice unsuccessfully, but about 130 years later they succeeded, after a siege, in capturing and plundering Nice (a similar event occurred in 880). Although the Saracens were eventually driven out of Nice, they continued to terrorize the entire French Riviera until the 10th century.
Even after the Muslim threat disappeared (temporarily), Nice's wars did not stop. During the Middle Ages, Genoa became its rival, and Nice supported Pisa. At the same time, both the King of France and the Holy Roman Emperor had their eyes on it. During this period, the fortifications that protected the city from many invasions were built, some of which can still be seen today.
Nice becomes “Italian”: The moment Nice chose its boss
During the 13th and 14th centuries, Nice was ruled by the Count of Provence, but at the end of the 14th century (1388, to be precise), Nice decided to pass under the patronage of the Duke of Savoy. From that time until 1860, the fate of Nice was inextricably linked to this noble house, which over the following centuries began to turn most of its attention from France to the Italian peninsula.
This event, known in local history as the “Dédition de Nice à la Savoie,” is perhaps one of the most brilliant (and cynical) moves of the period. Nice was not conquered by Savoy; it *chose* it. The inhabitants and local nobility simply “fired” the Angevin Counts of Provence who had failed to protect them, and signed a detailed protection treaty with Amadeus VII, the “Red Count” of Savoy. It was not a conquest, it was a successful real estate and protection deal that guaranteed Nice very broad autonomy for centuries.
Nice flourished under the House of Savoy and, during the years it was ruled by them, became a wealthy maritime power. During the 16th century, the threat of conquest by a Muslim power (this time the Ottoman Empire) suddenly returned, which formed an alliance with the Kingdom of France and laid siege to the city in 1543. From this siege emerged a mythological figure named Catherine of Séguronne, who, according to legend, tempted the Turks after wiping her behind with their flag (you can read more about the act in Amiram Tsabari's article, The Pirate and the Laundress of Nice ).
What is truly interesting about the siege of 1543 is the unlikely coalition that formed it: Francis I, the Christian king of France, allied himself with Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman sultan, to fight the House of Habsburg. The stunned inhabitants of Nice were forced to watch the Turkish fleet, commanded by the famous pirate Barbarossa (Red Beard), bombard their city under the cover of the French flags of the Nile. History, it turns out, is more cynical than any TV series.
During the reign of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy (1562–1630), the city of Nice was linked to the capital of the Duchy of Turin by a road paved in 1593. This road, combined with Nice becoming a free trade city, led to its enrichment and the creation of an international community of merchants, led by the English, who left their mark on the city.
Turin's influence on Nice was not only economic, but also visual. The reason Nice feels so "orderly" and geometric in certain areas (like the magnificent Garibaldi Square) is the "Consiglio d'Ornato" (Council of Decoration) that was established in the 19th century, inspired by Turin. This council set strict rules about the facades of houses, the colors (those yellow-reddish tones we love so much) and the width of the streets. They basically invented the modern urban planning of the Riviera.
In 1669, the connection between Nice and the English was strengthened through a trade treaty, and about two centuries before it became a tourist city, it had already “come on the radar” of the English. However, because the concept of tourism had not yet been invented (this would happen in the late 18th century and especially in the 19th century, when fast means of transportation such as trains were invented), few English people came to Nice during this period.
The kings of France did not give up on Nice and tried to conquer it several times, and in some cases even managed to hold it for a while. For example, the French managed to conquer the city in 1691 and held it for about five years. Nearly a decade later, the French briefly conquered the city again, this time destroying the citadel on the hill and a significant part of the fortifications. This is why today, when you go up to the “Castle Hill” (Colline du Château), you will mainly find a breathtaking view and an artificial waterfall, but the castle – it no longer exists.
The birth of winter tourism (and thanks to Tobias Smollett Herzgen)
During the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748), Nice was no longer “just” part of the Duchy of Savoy but part of a kingdom: the Kingdom of Sardinia, which the Dukes of Savoy had received some 20 years earlier. The connection between Nice and the English became even stronger during this war, when Savoy made an alliance with England, and the English sent troops to Nice and used it as a sort of “outpost” in Provence.
The British soldiers who served in Nice fell in love with the pleasant climate and picturesque scenery of Provence, and when they returned to England they told their friends about it. Word of the magical place soon reached the English aristocracy, and as a result, Nice became one of the destinations on their “Grand Tour.”
What is this “Grand Tour”? Do you know the post-military trip to South America or the Far East? Well, something similar. The big difference is that while the purpose of the post-military trip is usually to relax after grueling military service, the purpose of the English “Grand Tour” was educational, so perhaps it can be more likened to an “annual trip” (and indeed, it lasted about a year).
One of the people who contributed most to Nice’s publicity was the Scottish writer Tobias Smollett, who arrived in the city in 1763. Smollett was probably the most snobbish tourist in history: he complained about the food, the dirt, the locals, and the prices. But the book he wrote, “Travels Through France and Italy,” became a hysterical bestseller. The English read his complaints and said to themselves: “Hmm, warm weather in winter? Sounds great, we’re coming!” And so, the man who hated Nice became its best marketing promoter.
During this trip, young men of the nobility, usually in their late teens or early twenties, were sent to the Italian peninsula with the aim of being exposed to both Roman antiquities and Renaissance and Baroque painters (and of course music and other arts). In practice, most of them took advantage of the trip to produce bastards and return with a variety of sexually transmitted diseases, but that is not the subject of this article. What is important is that Nice became not only a military and economic destination, but also a tourist destination.
As a result, during the second half of the 18th century, the whole of England began to arrive to spend the wet and cold winter in Nice, which enjoyed a warm and pleasant climate. Who hasn't visited there? The Duke of York, brother of the King of England, came to visit in 1764, the Duke of Gloucester came with his wife and children in 1770, and the list goes on. In the 19th century, they were joined by Russian royalty, who arrived in luxurious trains (after the railway was connected to the city in 1864) and built palaces such as the magnificent St. Nicholas Cathedral, which is the largest Russian church outside of Russia.
These tourists did not stay in inns or hotels, but built themselves luxurious villas, some of which have survived to this day (for example: the Villa Furtado-Heine, built by Lady Penelope Pitt-Rivers). This tourism grew stronger after the fall of Napoleon, and in 1821 the English priest Lewis Way (1772-1840) decided to pave a promenade that would run along the seashore and between the villas built by the English. This promenade, which is now about 4.5 km long, is called the “Promenade des Anglais” (La promenade des Anglais) and is one of the most important tourist attractions in Nice.
The English were the ones who discovered the touristic virtues of Nice, but they were certainly not the only tourists who began to come there during the 18th century. One of them was Johann Georg Sulzer (1720-1779), a professor of mathematics of Swiss origin, who worked most of his life for Frederick the Great, King of Prussia.
In 1775, Johann Georg fell ill, and the doctors recommended that he go on vacation to Nice in the hope that the weather there would be good for him. Indeed, he managed to recover from his illness, and as a token of gratitude to the city that saved his life, he decided to write a book called “Journey from Berlin to Nice.” This book was a kind of great-grandfather of the travel blog, as it contained descriptions of all the villages and towns on the way to Nice, and included quite a few tourist tips.
The book, originally published in German, became a huge success and was translated into French in 1787, which in turn led to tourism becoming the leading growth engine in Nice's economy.
Nice moves from Italy to France (and suspiciously, everyone voted “yes”)
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Nice continued to change hands several times (for example, between 1744–1748 and between 1792–1814 it was in French hands, but was always returned to the House of Savoy). However, in 1860, Nice passed definitively and completely into French hands, without a single shot being fired. How did this happen?
The House of Savoy has existed since the 11th century AD, and although it has encountered occasional difficulties and challenges throughout its long history, its path to the top of European royalty was clear. The members of the house began as counts and in the 15th century became dukes. In the 18th century they became kings of Sicily, but in 1720 they were forced to give up Sicily in exchange for Sardinia.
With the development of nationalism in Europe during the first half of the 19th century, the King of Sardinia, Charles Albert (reigned 1831–1849) and his successor, Victor Emmanuel II (reigned 1849–1878), decided to take advantage of the awakening of Italian nationalism with the aim of taking control of all of Italy, then ruled by the House of Habsburg, and unifying it under their rule.
During the 50s, Count Cavour (Camillo Benso di Cavour 19–1810), Vittorio Emanuele's foreign minister, approached Napoleon III (reigned as Emperor of France from 1861–1852) and requested military assistance. In 1870, following a secret meeting between the two in the town of Plombières, it was decided that France would intervene militarily on the side of Sardinia, in return for receiving the Duchy of Savoy and the Countship of Nice.
I will not delve into the implications of this agreement and the series of battles that followed, as this article is not about the Italian Wars of Independence. However, what is important is that in 1860 the King of Sardinia ceded Savoy and Nice to France, and after (rather dubious) referendums held in both provinces, they became part of the French Empire. The official results were astonishing: about 25,000 voted “yes” and only about 160 voted “no” (or abstained, depending on who you ask). Many historians claim that the game was rigged – the “no” ballots simply weren’t available at many polling stations. In any case, since the Seine has been flooded, France is no longer an empire, but Nice is still part of it.
If you thought that Nice's transformation into a French city was easy, you were wrong. Following the officialization of French , a significant portion of the Italian speakers left the city. Those who remained elected Garibaldi, a native of Nice and hero of the unification of Italy, as their representative in the National Assembly in 1871, with the goal of returning Nice to Italy.
This led to riots in the city, which were suppressed with an iron fist. Garibaldi was expelled from the National Assembly, and many Italian intellectuals left Nice. Despite the failure of the uprising, the pro-Italian movement in Nice continued to exist until 1914. Even today, in certain corners of the old town, you can hear the local dialect, “Nicearte”, which reminds us that the identity of this city is much more than the flag that flies above the town hall.
Nice in Modern Times: From Jazz to Terrorism
During the 20th century, Nice continued to grow and develop, but the nature of tourism changed completely. If in the 19th century Nice was a “winter city” for sick aristocrats seeking a cure, after World War I the Americans arrived (like the writer Scott Fitzgerald) and brought with them jazz, tanning and the strange idea of… swimming in the sea in the summer! Suddenly, the hotels that were closed in August began to fill up, and Nice became the eternal summer capital that we know today.
The city also became a magnet for many artists such as Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall, who opened wonderful museums there that still exist today. The special light of the Riviera must have done them some good for their canvases.
During World War II, Nice went through dark times under Italian occupation (which was relatively mild towards the Jews) and then a brutal German occupation. The city lost a significant part of its population, but also developed a courageous resistance movement. However, in the second half of the 20th century, Nice underwent a process of building and reconstruction under the leadership of a father and son, who served one after the other as mayors.
The first and legendary was Jean Médecin (1890-1965), who ran the city for 33 years (with a break during World War II). The second was his son Jacques, who ruled the city until 1990 and was forced to flee it and France following corruption cases in which he was accused (he fled to Uruguay, but was eventually extradited and died in prison – a somewhat less glamorous end than he had planned).
In 2016, a Muslim truck driver ran over dozens of people standing on the Promenade des Anglais watching the traditional Bastille Day fireworks display. 86 people were killed and hundreds injured in an event that left a deep scar on the city. Despite all this, Nice remains a much-loved tourist destination today, and in 2021 it was even recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its Riviera culture.
Once you've gotten a taste of Nice's fascinating history, it's time to start exploring it.
Some articles that can help you plan your trip to Nice
- Flights to Nice – The trip starts with finding a good flight, and that's exactly why I created this article. You'll find not only ways to reduce the price of your ticket, but also important information about Nice Airport.
- Recommended hotels in Nice – Once you’ve found a flight, the next step is to find a hotel. To help you avoid “falls” in this area, I’ve created a list of recommended hotels divided by price levels.
- Car rental in Nice – Want to make Nice your base for a trip throughout the French Riviera? I highly recommend renting a car so you can get not only to the big cities but also to the small villages. In this article you will find recommendations for car rental companies along with other important information.
- Provence for the traveler – Continuing from the previous section, if you decide to go outside of Nice, you can find on this page a series of articles and information about cities, towns, and villages on the French Riviera in particular and Provence in general.
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