Day 2571 (Saturday) 22nd June 2024

Both of these photos were taken in Nice.

We went to Le Phare last night and there was quite a crowd and the atmosphere was great.

There were three singers opposite the bar and they were pretty good.  

We walked down to the square and the atmosphere was even better with lots of people eating and drinking and enjoying the live band.

There were a lot of kids dancing in the square.

When we got home we had just missed the huge orange moon, hopefully it’ll back tonight.

There was another cruise ship in the bay today

and Huw picked some of our peppers.

We went up to the castle in Nice to enjoy the wonderful views.

Colline du Chateau (Castle Hill)

On the eastern end of Nice, the Colline du Chateau (Castle Hill) looms over Vieux Nice from a height of 92m. By day the park offers unforgettable views over the Baie des Anges and by night the illuminated hill cuts a striking figure against the sky. Much of the top of the hill is a vast playground and sports center. With its spacious parkland, sweeping views and evocative ruins the Colline du Chateau is a great place to visit with kids. Despite it's name, there's very little of the medieval defensive fortress that remains which is a shame considering the Chateau's importance in Nice history.

View from the top of Castle Hill

History of the Colline du Chateau

The story of the hill begins at least as far back as the Bronze Age around 2100BC, maybe further. Around the third century BC the hill became a Greek colony trading with the Greek settlement of Massalia (now Marseille). The hilltop settlement became known as Nikaia. From the time that Julius Caesar conquered the region in 49BC to the fall of the Roman empire in 476, the hill was continuously occupied although power gravitated its rival, Cemenelum on Cimiez hill. 

Only nominally under Roman control, the settlement retained strong cultural and commercial links to Greek Massalia. As the ruins of the Cathedral date back to the 5th century, it's clear that the inhabitants were early converts to Christianity. By the 11th century the settlement expanded to include churches, convents, a market and towers. A second Cathedral was built as well as the first walls to protect the new town. Documents refer to the hill as a "castrum" or "fortified place" in Latin.

Uncover the secrets of Castle Hill

As the town grew and prospered the population spilled down the western slopes of the hill. A new and larger wall that encompassed the eastern part of Vieux Nice was built to protect them. The seat of power was the Chateau at the highest point of the hill. As the administrative centre, the Chateau included the town hall and the residence of the governor.

In 1388 Nice became part of the House of Savoy. By that time the town was an important trading post, especially for salt, which prompted the Dukes of Savoy to protect their possession with more walls. In 1436 they increased security by building towers. There were four towers including Saint Elmo tower, rebuilt as the Tour Bellanda. In the early 16th century new defensive structures arose which included north walls, gates, semi-circular bastions and a well to bring water from below.

After a Franco-Turk naval force besieged Nice in 1543, Savoy Duke Emmanuel Philibert decided to turn the whole upper section into a citadel. All civilians moved down to the Old Town and Savoy engineers got to work building more and better fortifications.

Throughout the entire 16th and 17th centuries additional bastions and defensive structures were built. Nevertheless the French army laid siege in 1691 and once again in 1705. The city capitulated in 1705 and in 1706, the fortress crumbled under relentless artillery fire. Soon after, King Louis XIV razed the entire fortified structure.

During the rest of the 18th century the Princes of Savoy used the hill for military drills and storage. There was a little grazing and a little farming but not enough to stop the occasional landslide that buried the houses below. Barracks and military buildings dotted the landscape until 1934. In 1822 the King of Sardinia transformed the hill into a public garden. Botanists replanted the terrain with Aleppo pines, cypresses, oaks and various hardwood trees.

As Nice was beginning to flourish as a winter holiday spot for the European aristocracy, the timing was good. Visitors came to stroll the shady paths and enjoy the spectacular views over the Baie des Anges. Installation of the waterfall in 1885 encouraged the growth of more vegetation and more visitors.

Things to see on Castle Hill

Tour Bellanda

Bellanda Tower is the circular tower that punctuates the end of the Promenade des Anglais. It occupies the site of the former Saint Elmo tower which formed part of the lower defensive walls of the citadel. Saint Elmo was the patron saint of sailors. Built in 1436 to protect the Chateau's western flank, the Saint Elmo tower was destroyed by Louis XIV in 1706 and lay in ruins for over a century.

Around the middle of the 19th century Honore Clerissi bought the site and built the current tower as part of his hotel below, now the Hotel Suisse. He suspected that the panoramic view of the Baie des Anges would attract the celebrated foreigners flocking to Nice for their health. He was right. Among the most famous residents of the "Clerissi Tower" was the composer Hector Berlioz who came several times and composed Le Roi Lear and Le Corsair during his stays.

Bellandarium

Saint Mary's Cathedral (Cathedrale Sainte Marie), is the hill's most significant archaeological site. The first sacred structure here dates back to the 5th century. Little is known about it except that it was a 22m by 10m rectangle. During the 8th and 9th century an apse was constructed but it was not until the 11th century that a recognisable church emerged with two apses and columns arranged in the style of a typical medieval church. In the beginning of the 12th century, the clergy arrived along with a nave and choir. In the 15th century the church was enlarged on the eastern side and became Cathedrale Sainte Marie (Saint Mary's Cathedral). The church lasted until its destruction in 1706.

Around a large holm oak tree are remains of the side chapels. Go up to the platform where signs on the right offer a visual reconstitution of the church as it originally appeared. Notice the remains of two large pillars in the church nave. Two column bases delineate the choir. They belong either to the 11th-century church or to the second medieval cathedral. Two semi-circular apses and a chancel screen are still visible. Low walls around the pillars are vestiges of the 5th century church. Archaeologists are still excavating the ruins of another old church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and a clerical cemetery nearby. 

The Cascade

The Cascade is a lush and refreshing oasis built under the shadow of an old fortified tower. In the late 19th-century the Chateau was undergoing a transformation into a recreational area. What better place to commemorate the new water system that brought water from the Vesubie valley, about 50km north of Nice, to the Cascade and the city of Nice? The Cascade was inaugurated 27th June 1885.

Walls of the Old Chateau

At the top of the hill are the walls of the original Chateau, built sometime between the 13th and 14th century. At one time it was protected by a double wall and a tower that has since disappeared. A sign indicates the spot where a cannon ball left its mark. At the top of the walls is Le Point de Vue a casual restaurant for light refreshments (cash only). Go up the stairs on the left of the restaurant to the Heart of the Chateau. Notice that this is the highest point and offers a panoramic view. Whoever was governing at the time had this view from his apartments. Centuries later, in 1860, Napoleon III came to visit and exclaimed 'It's the most beautiful landscape in the world!" It was from this spot that Nice's midday cannon was once fired.

We went to the Old Town of Nice to have a kebab for lunch; we tried a new kebab shop called L’Oasis and it was the winner out of the three places we have tried. We ate it in the park and saw this orange structure and when I went to have a look at what it was the lady behind the counter called me over so that she could explain what it was.

It was called the World of Hermes and they were giving away a Hermes magazine and invited us to a free cold drink so that we could sit down and study the magazine, which we did.

I’m not sure what they got out of it because they weren’t selling anything but everyone involved was really nice.

We finished off our day out by going for a short walk in the Old Town.