A Celebration of Art: The French & Italian Rivieras and Corsica Nice – Nice

Nice, capital of the Alpes-Maritimes department on the French Riviera, sits on the pebbly shores of the Baie des Anges. Founded by the Greeks and later a retreat for 19th-century European elite, the city has also long attracted artists. Former resident Henri Matisse is honored with a career-spanning collection of paintings at Musée Matisse. Musée Marc Chagall features some of its namesake’s major religious works.

Capital of cinema, Cannes is perceived as a glamorous star-spangled town although its history can be traced back to before the Ligurians. For centuries it was a modest fishing village, and it was only later that the english and european aristocracy arrived to build their magnificent residences.

Ajaccio is the capital of Corsica, a French island in the Mediterranean Sea. A port city on the rugged isle’s western coast, it was the birthplace of French Emperor Napoléon Bonaparte in 1769. His ancestral home, Maison Bonaparte, is now a museum displaying family heirlooms.

Perched precariously on a high rocky promontory, Bonifacio (Corsica – France) occupies a very special place in the Corsican andscape, particularly when viewed from the sea. A fortress city atop white limestone and granite cliffs that have been sculpted by wind and waves, Bonifacio’s historic medieval heart of tall, narrow houses and winding cobblestone streets is protected by an impressive citadel wall embellished with square towers : a beautiful sight.

Port of call for Italy’s capital, Civitavecchia (Italy) is our gateway to “the Eternal City” of Rome. Having dominated the “Western World” for so long, this ancient metropolis harbours a thousand and one testimonies to its rich past. over 400 churches, 300 fountains and countless ruins have become so much a part of the myth and mystery surrounding the great Italian city, held in such esteem by visitors.

The island of Elba is at the heart of the Tuscan Archipelago and presents a finely chiselled profile sheltering many pristine coves. Roman churches, Medicean fortresses and memories of Napoleon blend into the picture postcard that is Portoferraio (Italy). The town is one of the oldest on the island, the Ligurians, Etruscans and Greeks having shaped its history before it became a Roman colony. Here you can follow in the footsteps of Napoleon as you wind your way through the pastel-coloured houses protected by their two Medicean forts.

A rugged rocky promontory, the Portofino Peninsula is the loveliest spot on the Ligurian Riviera. At its feet lies the pretty port of Portofino (Italy), which has become a seaside destination for the Italian jet-set. A rugged stairway leads to a path into the heart of the luxuriant vegetation above.

Nice, capital of the Alpes-Maritimes department on the French Riviera, sits on the pebbly shores of the Baie des Anges. Founded by the Greeks and later a retreat for 19th-century European elite, the city has also long attracted artists. Former resident Henri Matisse is honored with a career-spanning collection of paintings at Musée Matisse. Musée Marc Chagall features some of its namesake’s major religious works.

Nice, capital of the Alpes-Maritimes department on the French Riviera, sits on the pebbly shores of the Baie des Anges. Founded by the Greeks and later a retreat for 19th-century European elite, the city has also long attracted artists. Former resident Henri Matisse is honored with a career-spanning collection of paintings at Musée Matisse. Musée Marc Chagall features some of its namesake’s major religious works.