Jeanne, Author at Nice Uncovered

Jeanne and Sandi Toksvig on the French Riviera

When the producers of Sandi Toksvig’s Great Riviera Rail Trip contacted me to be Sandi’s guide in Nice I didn’t know what to expect. My TV experience is limited (non-existent) and I wanted to do justice to Nice’s extraordinary history and culture. Plus, there’s so much to talk about, how would we narrow it down?

The latter question involved considerable preparation. Ultimately we decided to focus on the British contribution to Nice’s development. After all, the four part series was made for a British audience watching the series on Channel 4.

As astute readers of my book, Nice Uncovered: Walks Through the Secret Heart of a Historic City, already know, the British kick-started tourism on the Cote d’Azur and built the iconic Promenade des Anglais. Also, Queen Victoria fell in love with Nice, wintering in Cimiez every year between 1895 and 1899. Her impact on Nice’s international prestige was profound.

In episode 3 of the series which takes place in Nice (airing December 13) Sandi and I talk a lot about both the Promenade des Anglais and Queen Victoria’s presence in the Hotel Regina Excelsior. The problem is that the massive and ornate Hotel Regina Excelsior is now a private residence and very much closed to the public. Viewers will be treated to a rare glimpse of the interior along with Sandi in this episode. A short clip is included in the trailer here:

There’s so much more in the clip and in the series. Sandi brings immense wit and curiosity to her exploration of the French Riviera. And she was as delightful to work with as she is on screen!

Airs December 13 8pm Channel 4

Promenade du Paillon Season 2

The extension of the Promenade du Paillon, now called Promenade du Paillon Saison 2, has finally opened and it’s an extraordinary addition to Nice’s urban landscape. Stretching over 8 hectares (almost 20 acres), this visionary project opened on October 18 after more than three years of work. Together with the Coulée Verte, the original Promenade du Paillon, Nice now has 20 hectares of greenery in central/eastern Nice.

(Follow my guided walk through the Coulée Verte in Nice Uncovered: Walks Through the Secret Heart of a Historic City)

But the Promenade du Paillon Saison 2 is more than a pretty place to hang out. Yes there are quiet lanes (which will be shadier once the trees grow)

Mediterranean greenery

reflecting pools

sculptures such as this one by Bernar Venet

and this one by Niki de Saint Phalle

a boules court

a playground

and a fitness area

In addition to the recreational opportunities, the Promenade du Paillon also serves a crucial ecological function. It’s no secret that summers on the Riviera are becoming insufferably hot and that planting trees and shrubs cools down the surrounding streets. More than 3,500 trees and 1,500 shrubs of 250 varieties have been planted, prioritizing those species best adapted to a hot, dry climate. They require little water but to be sure there’s also a system to harvest and store rainwater. There’s also topographical diversity as the space includes shaded undergrowth, meadows, a bamboo grove, water gardens and shade-producing trees such as jacaranda and magnolia.

In order to create this space a long stretch of concrete buildings that once housed the Theatre de Nice and the Acropolis were torn down. This was controversial. Demonstrators insisted that both buildings were part of Nice’s heritage and should stay.

“Those people don’t live in the neighborhood” one local told me when I mentioned the controversy. “We love it and we’ve already noticed a difference in temperature in our apartment”, he said.

This urban forest should allow for a reduction of 2 to 3 degrees in air temperature and up to 10 degrees in perceived temperature during heat waves, the City states. ” Reports made by bailiffs in the summer of 2022, during an orange heat wave alert, recorded a ground temperature of 46.2°C in the area of the Paillon promenade extension, compared to a temperature of 26.5°C in the already vegetated area between Place Masséna and Traverse de la Bourgada. ” batiactu.com

In addition, it’s estimated that the new trees will absorb 1740 tons of CO2 per year and improve the city’s air quality which, to be honest, is not that great. The city’s ambitious goal is to insure that every resident has a view of three trees (!) and no one lives more than 300 meters from a green space. It should be noted that the area bordering the Promenade du Paillon is not considered prestigious like the Promenade des Anglais or Cimiez or the Quartier des Musiciens. It’s not where foreigners buy houses. The population is mainly local and working class.

What about money? The project cost €94 million of which the PACA region provided €33 million. Nice things cost money. And it’s not finished yet! Much work needs to be done on the lateral sides, MAMAC (Musée de l’Art Moderne et Contemporaine) and the attached city library is being overhauled and new entrances installed. Would that be Season 3?

How to Visit the Promenade du Paillon

To visit the entire two-kilometer stretch, start at Place Massena and keep walking through the Coulée Verte. After the Traverse de la Bourgada, go up the stairs to the Niki de Saint Phalle sculpture which begins the Promenade du Paillon Season 2. Continue to the Traverse Jean Monnet where the Promenade ends.

To visit only the extension, take tram 1 or 2 to Place Garibaldi. Head north to MAMAC which is now closed for renovation, go up the stairs and begin the walk. At the Traverse Jean Monnet is the bus stop Palais des Expositions serviced by the 8+ bus.

Note that there are currently no side entrances open as work on cycle paths along the lateral sides is continuing.

To soak up the ambiance of the Promenade du Paillon Season 2, check out my YouTube video. Don’t forget to like and subscribe!

Saint Sepulchre Chapel Finally Open!

It’s been a VERY long wait but the beautiful Saint Sepulchre Chapel on Place Garibaldi has finally opened its doors after a five-year restoration process. In fact the chapel was open only intermittently for years before. Now everyone an appreciate the meticulously restored frescoes, masonry, woodwork, gilding and painted decoration.

The solemn opening ceremony on Friday January 17 was followed by a weekend of guided visits, musical interludes and a special mass. My favorite event was the Saturday afternoon “Eloquence Competition” which sounds much drearier than it was. A team from Nice’s debating society (who knew?) argued their positions on whether Notre Dame in Paris should have been restored (no, according to the audience vote!) and whether Catherine Segurane, Nice’s 16th-century heroine, should be honored. That was another hard no from the audience. Only in France.

The main attraction was the exquisite interior of the surprisingly small chapel. The ceiling frescoes painted in the 19th century by Nice artist Emmanuel Costa add a light, fresh touch to the chapel.

The ceiling fresco above depicts the Assomption of the Virgin which was a shout-out to a much earlier church that this chapel replaced. The older church, Notre Dame du Sincaire, was dedicated to the Virgin Mary who supposedly appeared there during the siege of 1543. It was a popular pilgrimage site but when architect Antoine Spinelli designed Place Garibaldi in 1782 he realized the older church had to go. In a nod to the prior church, cannonballs from the siege and a plaque explaining the events are mounted on the exterior. Some of the stones from the old church were used in the pillars.

A curious feature of the chapel is that the entrance is on the first floor and that a wrought-iron balcony extends from the chapel to overlook Place Garibaldi. The idea was to make Place Garibaldi a grandiose square to welcome Nice’s rulers at the time, the Dukes of Savoy who were based in Turin. Constructed in the mid-19th century, the balcony provided a space for the travelling duke to address his subjects.

The Saint Sepulchre chapel is managed by the Blue Penitents, a benevolent association of lay people founded in 1431. Their first chapel was in the Franciscan Convent in Cimiez before being installed on Place Garibaldi at the end of the 18th century. The brotherhood remained highly influential until France annexed Nice in 1860 at which point it went into decline. The advent of a governmental social safety net in the 20th century made the essential charitable services provided by the brotherhood less necessary.

Because of its association with Nice’s iconic siege of 1543, the chapel is as much a symbol of Nice as a religious building. If you visit, make sure to check out the Assumption of the Virgin, by Louis-Abraham van Loo, the Ascension of Christ (currently under restoration) and a cycle of 17th and 18th century paintings showing the devotions of the Blue Penitnent brotherhood. The chapel is open for visits Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm.

Jeanne

Jeanne and Sandi Toksvig on the French Riviera

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Promenade du Paillon Season 2

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Saint Sepulchre Chapel Finally Open!

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