COTE D'AZUR: WHAT IS now called the Old Town in Nice, capital of the French Riviera, was in days gone by the only town.
The small triangular piece of land it occupies has, as its southern base, the open and sunny Cours Saleya; there is a small hillside to the east known misleadingly as the Colline du Château (don't look for it, it was destroyed by Louis XIV's troops); to the west, runs the River Paillon (don't look for that either, it has been covered over); the apex is our newly renovated (a tramway runs through it) open and sunny Place Garibaldi.
I love the Old Town - known in French as le Vieux Nice or la Vieille Ville. Small shops and bistros line the maze of narrow lanes, shaded from the Mediterranean sun by tall buildings painted in various muted shades of ochre, from yellow through to rusty red.
Come the 17th century, almost a century of peace had resulted in palaces and churches springing up everywhere. Nice was ready to "Baroque and roll". The Benedictines were already here; the Augustinians had arrived in the 13th century; there were Franciscans and Capuchins; the Jesuits, visitors for 20 years, moved in permanently in 1606. In 1599 there were five convents; by 1650 there were 15 and 315 religious. You couldn't move for monks. You come across beautiful examples of over-the-top Baroque chapels and churches at every turn.
Nice is a university town and the Vieux Nice with its cafés, bistros and impromptu live music is much favoured by the young.
Depending on where you buy, you may need to stock up on ear plugs (ask for boules Quies at any pharmacy) but, looking on the bright side, there is good rental potential here. If you want a pied-à-terre in the sun, are fit (no elevators in these old buildings, I'm afraid) and not fussed about a sea view, this is the place for you.
The market has dropped by around 10 per cent; you can find studios from €100,000. The most sought-after properties are those close to the sea and in the quieter upper Old Town, near the château-les-colline; the up-and-coming sector is the renovated Place Garibaldi. Prices per sq m range from €3,500 to €4,000, with de luxe apartments rising to €45,000 a sq m. Local estate agents offer a comprehensive after-sales service - one even plans to provide clients with free use of bicycles. And believe me, the last thing you want in Nice is a car.
www.palaisimmobilier.com
www.intuitive-france.fr
