I visited Nice, France many years before inscription. For a so-called 'Winter Retreat' I found Fall somewhat cold! The holiday crowds were gone, the temperature required a light jacket, and the day I spent the most time by the Promenade, it was overcast and gray. There were however, a couple highlights.

Cathedral of Saint Nicholas (1912)

A beautiful Eastern Orthodox Church that was built for the Russian nobility who visited Nice during the Early 20th century. The nomination description includes a full section on "- Places of worship and cemeteries", which relates to foreigners who "Wintered" in Nice.

Another highlight was the National Museum of Marc Chagall (slightly outside of the core zone), which is a wonderful small gallery dedicated to an artist who lived just outside Nice for decades. The Matisse Museum is within the inscribed boundary. Its worth noting the nomination originally included justification for criteria vi, "The city is thus directly associated with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. This is particularly true for painting with Henri Matisse, Marc Chagall, Raoul Dufy, Max Beckmann and Edvard Munch, who lived in Nice and represented the city in major works." In the end ICOMOS did not see enough here and rejected this criteria based on artistic influence being common in many culturally rich cities.

Roman Baths of Cimiez

I visited this modest Roman site out of curiosity. At the time, a lot of archaeological work was being carried out. Why was it included? It was in fact part of a 17th century villa, in which the property extended over the entire archaeological site, which was then covered by fields and a vast olive grove. Later, Count Raymond Garin de Cocconato bought the property in 1823 and funded digs to uncover the Roman site, incorporating the ruins into the estate grounds, creating a romantic landscape of gardens and ancient ruins.

View from Castle Hill (Colline du Château)

The views from Castle Hill include seaside views looking toward the promenade or the opposite side toward Nice Harbor, both wonderfully scenic.

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