Starting 2013 in Nice

I had not seen Nice for some time; I had read about the Christmas lights, and curious, Rita and I set off on 2 January by train. We had some trouble due to a landslide that had interrupted the railway and we had to take a train to Savona-Ventimiglia. On arrival, by tram we headed to the Hotel Helvetique (full double room at 55 euros per night), then to lunch at Acchiardo in the old town, a renovated place; the menu and prices are as always. During the short stay, always cheered by warm sunshine, many walks, on the famous Promenade des Anglais; we often lie down on the pebble beach; some brave soul goes for a swim. In the evening the Christmas lights make some areas of the city more cheerful; only the Promenade des Anglais appears neglected.

Place Massena is full of hut-shaped stalls displaying Christmas goods and sweets; the Christmas lights illuminate the square as bright as day, on which the famous 7 allegorical statues by Jaume Plensa tower; at the far end of the square the fountain shoots high jets of water that continually change colour; around it, enormous Christmas trees of coloured flashing lights; the most suggestive are in Place Garibaldi. We did not miss a visit to the ile Sainte-Marguerite (one of the Lerins islands located off Cannes). The island is a natural park, practically uninhabited; the only activity is a sailing school.

Not far from the landing pier is the Bateguier pond where various species of birds can be seen; it is a nature reserve for migratory birds; amid the thick vegetation surrounding it, a belvedere with small signs with information on the flora and fauna; a pity that the vegetation is often tall and in some cases obstructs the view; you can tell the crisis bites in France too. We walk near the sea among suggestive coves, while inland there are pine woods, equipped rest areas, always with descriptive signs; after a stop in a cove, where a daring soul is swimming, we reach the Pointe du Dragon; we climb to the belvedere from which we enjoy a magnificent panorama of the coast; needless to say the island is closed to traffic of any kind of vehicle.

We return towards the landing, near the only small inhabited centre; at the only bar we have a sandwich, then we visit the Fort Royal, which legend says is the place of the imprisonment of the Man in the Iron Mask, the subject of novels and films. The fort seems almost abandoned; we saw only 2 people; many areas are cordoned off. Then back to Cannes-Nice. In the following days we devoted ourselves to art, visiting the Museum of Asian Arts, located near the airport next to the Parc Phoenix; the museum building is a work of art by the star architect Kenzo Tange, all in white marble, surrounded on three sides by an artificial lake (the fourth is occupied by the Park); it has been compared to a swan; the base consists of four cubes in white marble, almost at water level, each dedicated to an Asian civilisation: Japan, India, China and Cambodia.

The upper floor is round in shape, topped by a pyramid structure; the two parts are connected by a beautiful spiral glass staircase. Inside, works of the four civilisations are displayed; there are not many, there are also photographs. The museum, free, can be visited in about an hour and a half; for a fee you can attend the tea ceremony. We then visited the Parc Phoenix, adjacent to the Museum and close to the sea (cost 2 euros); inside, an artificial lake, animals even roaming free, various species of plants and vegetation, then a large greenhouse with tropical plants and vegetation; I saw plants with enormous leaves and flowers whose existence I did not know. Outside, areas equipped with a playground, which made us think it is a park for children.

The last visit we made was to the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Nice (MAMAC), located in an area behind the old town, called the Promenade des Arts, consisting of a complex of white marble buildings about 30 metres tall, shaped like a parallelepiped, made up of an auditorium and a library connected to each other at the top by iron walkways with terraces, from where you can see a 360-degree panorama of Nice. The exhibition part of the Mamac is divided into 3 floors, very large rooms, enormous windows. The works belong to French modern and contemporary art; very present are works by Yves Klein and works of American contemporary art and Italian Arte Povera; among them all I liked an original composition by Michelangelo Pistoletto with an Etruscan reflected in a street of ancient Rome and an original work by Warhol (the dollar sign).

The museum is free and is certainly worth a visit.

Ferny Forner