A short history: prehistoric man found the perfect place to set up a camp, the site known as Terra Amata, at the foot of Mont-Boron. Four hundres thousands years later, it's still attracting visitors! Towards the 4th century bC the Greeks arrived by sea and settled on the "Colline du Château" intending to make Nikaïa a trading center. Then just 100 years bC, the Romans brought their stones and built a complete town on the hill of Cimiez (Cemeleum). In the 14th century the people of Nice asked to be placed under the sovereignty of the House of Savoy. In 1860 the city's population welcomed the Treaty of Turin which stipulated that Nice would become part of France. From then on, the little township became a fashionable holiday centre. The city has opened wide its doors not only to art and culture, but also to industry, science and high technology. What to see? Nice has changed more in fifty years than it did over the past two centuries. On arriving by plane at the legendary airport of Nice-Côte d'Azur, you have a clear view of the town's position, nestling amidst its hills, tucked into the unrivalled setting of the "Baie des Anges" (Bay of Angels). You're surprised to discover the flower-filled gardens of the "Colline du Château" (Castle Hill), Place Masséna and the "Promenade des Anglais". Nice, after Paris, is the city that boast the higher number of museums in France. Nice offers a thousand delights and surprises: from the Sardinian neighbourhoods around the port to the Victorian avenues of Cimiez, from the breathtaking panorama at the top of Mont-Boron to picturesque streets of the Old town, from the footpaths that link up the hills, to casual strolls around shops in the town's pedestrian areas. Historic monuments and churches: from prehistoric sites as Le Lazaret and Terra Amata to the architectural "follies" of the Belle Epoque, Nice has preserved the past. Visit the Palais Lascaris and the churches and chapels dotted around the streets if you enjoy the baroque art from the 17th and 18th centuries. At the limit of the older neighbourhoods you can admire the Palais de la Préfecture, Palais de Justice, Opéra House (19th-century architecture). Niçois gastronomy, some true specialities (typical dishes not to be missed): "Socca", "Farcis", "soupe au Pistou" and last but not least the "Salade Niçoise".
SALADE NIÇOISE
Niçoise salad
Ingredients for 4 runners: 1 head of lettuce; 200 grams of tuna fish in olive oil; 6 ripe tomatoes; 1 sweet pepper; 1 stick of celery with leaves; 3 artichokes and beans (when in season); 2 onions; 2 scallions; 4 eggs; 4 anchovies; 70 grams of black olives grown in Nice; 1 lemon; vinegar; olive oil.
Slit the anchovies open, discard the entrails and bones, rinse and fillet them. Wash the artichokes, eliminate the stalks and spiky leaf ends. Scald in lightly salted, boiling water, soured with lemoned juice. Drain. Boil the eggs (8 minutes) shell and cut into wedges. Wash the the sweet pepper and the tomatoes, cut in half and remove the seeds. Cut the former into strips and the latter into wedges. Clean and rinse the lettuce. Do the same with the scallions and the onions, and cut them into thin rounds. Wash the celery and cut it into rounds.
In a salad bowl, place the lettuce leaves, tomatoes, sliced artichokes, the sweet pepper, a little drained and crumbled tuna fish, the celery, the onions and the scallions. Form another layer, finishing up with the eggs and olives on top.
Blend a tablespoon of vinegar in five tablespoons of oil and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Use to dress this most classical of salads and serve fresh and fragrant.
Bon appétit! Enjoy the meal!
Suggested wine - Wines are the perfect complement to the cuisine Niçoise. Red, White or Rosé (a Rosé will do the trick with the "salade Niçoise") these wines have earned an excellent reputation. The vineyards are in the hills around Nice. The best wine is, without question, produced by Château du Bellet, Quartier St-Roman de Bellet Nice.
