Stop Number Eight: An Overnight in Nice

Nice’s Russian Orthodox Church makes you question where you really are for a moment

Nice is the capital of the French Riviera and was the perfect halfway point on our drive back to Bologna. Although we only saw the downtown and coastline at night, that was enough to make me fall in love with Nice.

As a California native, I am a sucker for beach towns and while Nice is probably a little (a lot) more luxurious than most Californian beach towns, I couldn’t help but feel drawn to the city as soon as we exited the freeway. That isn’t to say that there weren’t a few hiccups during our stay, though.

We stayed in one of the more questionable Airbnbs which involved a bed with a broken leg, a front door that didn’t lock, and a very creepy basement that only consisted of a bed frame and a giant Winnie the Pooh teddy bear. A little creepy! Nevertheless, that didn’t stop us from enjoying the city and exploring the downtown, which was still beautifully decorated with Christmas lights.

We stopped in at Chez Pipo for some tapenade and socca – a flatbread-like thing that is a specialty of the region (so good!). Then, we spent the rest of the evening walking through the old town and along the harbor, gazing at the beautiful architecture all around us.

In the morning, we discovered that our Airbnb was very close to the Russian Orthodox Church so grabbed a quick snapshot of it before heading towards Cinque Terre.

The Basilique Notre-Dame – the largest church in Nice

Socca – made from chickpea batter poured over a searing hot griddle