The French Riviera
On the shores of Côte d’Azur, centuries of glamourous holidaying come together, and come to life.
Image by Rhiannon Elliott, via Unsplash.
Previously a stretch of rural French flower farms, olive groves and fishing villages, Nice first became a winter retreat for the British elite in the eighteenth century, flocked to particularly by those seeking the supposedly healing properties of a Mediterranean climate. Then an Italian city, Nice’s popularity grew into a playground for the royals and aristocrats of Victorian-era Europe, who quickly made themselves seasonally at home by the construction of the necessary amenities: elaborate villas, casinos, hotels and gardens.
As a result, the architecture of the still-fashionable Côte d’Azur reflects that of the Belle Époque, the blend of styles executed also in the streets of Paris where it is arguably known best. The same glamour and prestige has been restored at the exquisite Villa Massena, now a museum, where illustrious décor quotes Classical Greek myth, staking claims to an undeniably elite status not only within the current era, but also within the golden ages of the ancient past.
Image by John Jason, via Unsplash.
While the museum provides a glimpse at high-society Europe before the First World War, its collection does not do justice to the periods thereafter, when Nice’s cobblestones were filled with casts of characters in the likes of those imagined by Fitzgerald. While the American rich summered and suntanned on the Riviera, artists found inspiration there; writers including Fitzgerald himself wrote their most iconic works in the same destinations that Picasso, Renoir and Matisse rendered their famous paintings. Meanwhile, the Riviera hosted a parade of carnivals, travelling fairs, circuses and colourful gimmicks which entertained throngs of the superfluously rich.
Nice and its sister cities along the French Riviera remain reserved for those who can afford to spend generously on a beachside lunch, all difficult places to vacation on the cheap. Known for their docked yachts and glamorous photo-ops, the Côte d’Azur can easily feel like a destination where one might go merely to see and be seen. It’s interesting how a place can carry the same connotations and limitations of social class for generations. But even still, the beachside cities of French Riviera do have corners which feel rustic, authentic, and warmly hospitable – the distinct spirit of the Mediterranean that is so well known and so sought after.
Image by Rishi Jhajharia, via Unsplash.
While beautiful Cannes might be personified as a designer-clad self-proclaimed VIP who holds her nose in the air, Antibes is her more personable, down-to-earth sister; picturesque and quaint rather than impressive and elaborate. Nice, if we carry the running sibling analogy, is the middle child, home to a little bit of both. Between the mix of day-tripping Mediterranean families sprawling on the public beaches and dozing on lido chairs, and local kids working the bars and running a water sport business seemingly all on their own, its hybrid French-Italian culture and mixed demographic filling the promenade make the city feel somewhat culturally and socioeconomically ambiguous. After visiting the Massena Museum and learning a little bit about Nice’s flamboyant past, though, it was amusing to envision the dramatic characters of earlier eras coming to life all around me and to make light of the attempts at proving one’s prestige which continue to be performed on the shores of the French Riviera today.
Bringing Background to the Beach
It may be a tough pill for heritage professionals and history buffs to swallow, but most vacationers do not want to spend much of their beach holiday in a museum, no matter how well put together it is. Period. Despite Nice’s crowded shores, the Massena Museum was nearly empty aside from a handful of visitors who had managed to pry themselves off the shores enough to cross the Promenade des Anglais where the historic villa sits amidst pristine gardens. I could barely justify sacrificing an hour of beachside bliss to have a look around myself.
I wonder what modes of display might be more accessible to the people who flock to the south of France primarily for sun and sea. I can imagine a display along the beachfront punctuating strolling visitors’ views with images reimagining Nice throughout the eras, providing a glimpse at what this long-time vacation hotspot looked like in each decade, and all at the affluent excitement it hosted. For now, visitors can become a little more versed with the vintage French Riviera by browsing original travel prints, picking up a Fitzgerald novel, or streaming a classic film shot on location; all available without leaving the beach.
Image via 1stDibs.
Image via WikiCommons.
Image via WikiCommons.