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Nice
main page
History
and anecdotes
A view
from the Chateau
Cemetery
to old town
Old
town
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It may be a long walk uphill
to Cimiez (the chic part of Nice) but it certainly worth it. If the descent from
the Chateau could be named a “Greek descent”, the climb to Cimiez could be
called a “Roman climb”. Let’s start at the untidy boulevard Carabacel that
will bring us on the boulevard de Cimiez, which continues to the old “oppidum”.
On this walk we can make acquaintance with the sugar-pastry mid and late 19th
century architecture. It is obvious that money was no problem. On the boulevard
Carabacel no.8 the “Imperial Hotel” of 1881 (now an apartment building), at
no.20 the actual Chamber of Commerce, once one of the biggest hotels in town
where princess Jekaterina Katja) lived, the “maitresse” of the Tsar
Alexander II. We continue along the “Winter Palace” with its Moorish towers,
preceded by two minaret copies.
Arriving finally in the
proper Cimiez quarter it is impossible to ignore the “Excelsior Regina
Palace” of 1893 where queen Victoria lodged for 6 weeks in 1897, 1898 and
1899. She hired a whole floor with a private entrance. Every morning she
descended to the beach in her donkey-carriage.
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Queen Victoria |
But first she sent all her
orders, suggestions by mail to her state secretaries, England had to be ruled
anyway ;-). Let’s tell some
anecdote: according to some stories queen Victoria was quite generous with
beggars. An hear saying affirms that a
paralyzed beggar had written on his cart: “By appointment to Her Majesty the
Queen. In 1912 a statute, in an old fashioned style, (as was Victoria), was
erected.
Notice that al these hotel
palaces were far from the seashore. Why? Simply because the rich people in those
days didn’t come for the sea but for the climate and most hotels were
transformed into apartment buildings between the two wars. Matisse himself lived
in the transformed Regina from 1938 until his death in1954 (bronchitis!) with a
small interruption in Vence shortly after WWII. But let’s face it, the
“Regina” is a typical example of an architecture where every dreadful ugly
detail is repeated into infinity—the facade is 200 meters long-- and therefore
becomes impressive.
For cemetery amateurs, the
cemetery of Cimiez has sepulchers of old Nice families and artists: Roger Martin
du Gard, Dufy, Matisse (buried outside the cemetery in front of the hotel
Regina).
The Cimiez hill is still
covered with venerable old olive trees overshadow soft sloping lawns and immense
consumption tents. Mothers walk proudly their babies and children, boys play
ball everywhere and lovers keep their embrace for hours;-) without counting the
number of aging people taking a little nap on the grass field. But suddenly,
behind the olive green of the trees we see the strong red ochre color of a
large villa: an ancient 17th century second residence in Genoan
style, of very wealthy people. Turned in 1963 into the famous MUSEE MATISSE but
only on the 1st floor. Closed again for a long period it was reopened
definitely in 1993. The entrance opens on an underground, so no wonder we have
to search in a deep pit. But once we are safely inside it is all Matisse
wherever you look, T-shirts and postcards included! It is a museum with a lot of
corridors and corners, a museum for the Matisse-fan. 500 paintings, gouaches,
etchings, lithographies, glasswork and sculptures. What’s inside is described
in all traditional guides so I will not go and repeat the same.
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Musee Matisse |
It houses also Matisse's
personal collection, with works from every period, like numerous model portraits and friends of Matisse (Aragon) and signed photographs
(Man Ray, Henri Cartier-Bresson) of the artist.
The collection of drawings is
one of the most important in the world. All genres are represented: landscapes,
portraits, nudes, etc… And to
finish this article and the museum, an advice: study thoroughly all about
Matisse and his work before your visit, because you won't find anywhere a
chronology on the painter’s life and no explanations on the different periods
of his art.
-----Very important event to
point out, happening each year in Cimiez: the JAZZ FESTIVAL (in July) where the
greatest names have performed: Armstrong, Bechet, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie
etc.......
Bibliography:
D. Leblanc, "Histoire de coins curieux de Nice"ed. Points 1993), Mary
Blume, "Cote d'Azur. Inventing the French Riviera" (Thames
and Hudson, London 1982) Stephen
Liegeard, "La Cote d'Azur (Ed.Serre, Nice 1988), Georges
Poujouly,"Nice, une ville méconnue" (ed.Frontieres, Grasse),
"Guides du Routard" 1998-1999)
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Cote
d'Azur main page
Promenade des Anglais
Cimiez
walk - Musee Matisse
Musee
Chagall Museum
of Contemporary Art
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