Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Rue Droite:
In the Middle Ages, this straight, skinny street provided the most direct
route from wall to wall, or river to sea. Stop at
Esipuno's bakery
(at Place du Jésus, closed
Mon-Tue) and say
bonjour
to the friendly folks. Decades ago, this baker was voted the best
in France—the trophies you see were earned for bread-making, not bowling. His son now
runs the place. Notice the firewood stacked behind the oven. Try the house specialty,
tourte
aux blettes
—a Swiss chard tart. It's traditionally made with jam (a sweet, tasty breakfast
treat), but there's also a savory version, stuffed with pine nuts, raisins, and white beets (my
favorite for lunch).
Fartheralong,at#28,Thérèse(whomyoumetearlier)cooksher
socca
inthewood-fired
oven before she carts it to her barrel on Cours Saleya. The balconies of the mansion in the
next block mark the
Palais Lascaris
(c. 1647, gorgeous at night), a rare souvenir from one
of Nice's most prestigious families. It's worth popping inside (handy WCs) for its Baroque
Italian architecture and terrific collection ofantique musical instruments—harps, guitars, vi-
olins, and violas (good English explanations). You'll also find elaborate tapestries and a few
well-furnished rooms. The palace has four levels: The ground floor was used for storage,
the first floor was devoted to reception rooms (and musical events), the owners lived a floor
above that, and the servants lived at the top—with a good view but lots of stairs (free, Wed-
Mon10:00-18:00,closedTue).Lookupandmakefacesbackattheguysunderthebalconies.
