The Location
| Le Palais du Pin |
The building
Meticulously restored to its original beauty, this 18th century listed grand house has kept its original façade decorated in the typical Niçois colours: ochre walls and green shutters and the six symmetrical balconies which preserve its character and charm.
The restructuring of its interior was completed in 1999 to a high standard including quality building materials and fittings. Its perimeter walls were built using 2 foot thick local cut stones, keeping Le Palais du Pin cool in summer and warm in winter. The ceilings were left almost to their original height to help ventilation in the hot summer seasons. Its tall doors and windows are fitted with new, good quality double-glazing for maximum light and acoustic insulation. A lift has also been fitted to service its 19 apartments. The locationSituated at No.5 Rue Emmanuel Philibert, 6300 Nice, our apartment overlooks Place du Pin, a secluded sunny square carved between the heart of Nice Old Town and Nice Harbour. 
This open space is criss-crossed with quaint, busy streets teeming with restaurants, bars, boutiques, bazaars, confectioners and bakers, family run mini-markets, green grocers, florists and any other shops you can think of, catering for the residents, students and visitors. If you like to savour the simple things like walking to collect your paper, your oven baked baguette, your freshly ground coffee and croissant, and if you enjoy mingling with the locals, this is your location. Nice Nest is only a stone's throw from Nice's harbour and the beaches to the south, a few minutes walk from the main bus terminal, the heart of the old Town, Castle Hill Park, and the theatres to the West. The Castel des Deux Rois Parks and the Vigier Gardens to the East are near by, and so is the Acropolis and the Rue Barla to the North - the main artery leading to Cap-Ferrat, Beaulieu, Éze, Monaco and Italy.
A little historyThe District of Nice Port was built after the destruction of Castle Hill's Cittadelle ordered by Louis XIV in 1706. Half a century later, Charles Emmanuel of Savoy III king of Sardinia orders the digging of a new Port to the east of the Castle. This marks also the birth of this new district built around two poles: Port Lympia and Place Garibaldi. Port Lympia
Place GaribaldiIn 1844 Nice town planners helped its development. Several traders started up their businesses linked to the economic activity of its Port. One of them was owned by the parents of Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882) a great Italian general and patriot born in Nice at the time when the city was under the Savoy dynasty. He was instrumental in the unification of Italy. In 1782, the city of Nice created the imposing Victor square off Rue Bonaparte. This was later named after Garibaldi and a statue was then erected in his honour. The first phase of Place Garibaldi's refurbishing work, started in 2008, has finally been completed. The new square layout with tastefully a designed and lit fountain around Garibaldi's Statue, the additional Albizia trees planted, the new smart paving laid and the spotlighting of the bordering Italianate buildings, have given a new charming dimension to this square. Several new trendy bars, restaurants and bakeries have recently opended their doors to a wave visitors never experienced before. A busy art and antiquity market is now on operating every Saturday as an offshoot of the nearby well established quartier des antiquaires. Every September bands, dancers, farmers, shepherds and artisans from villages of the Provence Region come down to Nice to entertain with their folk songs and dance, to demonstrate their skills like wood carving and wool spinning whilst others display and sell their home grown produce from makeshift stalls in Garibaldi Square and other Squares in the old town.
A stylish linkDuring 2010 this lovely square will have its Italianate façades and arcades restored to their former glory. More Albizia trees will be planted whilst Rue Bonaparte and Place du Pin will link with Place Garibaldi. This new layout aims to reduce traffic, parking spaces and pollution in favour of a more quiet and healthy living. The old buildings of Rue Bonaparte will enjoy a face lift too, whilst Place du Pin is going to be reshaped and partly pedestrianised with the same smart paving as Place Garibaldi. It is to be noted that all ancient buildings of this district, including the Palais du Pin, are now protected by decree. Last but not least, this year for the first time ever, we have noticed, with immense pleasure, that the heavy fines imposed on careless dog owners, have produced the desired effect of dramatically improving the cleanliness of Nice's streets! Off Place Garibaldi
Emmanuel Philibert X Duke of Savoy (1528-1580), known also as "Ironhead" because of his military career, reorganised Castle Hill's defensive systems. He dissociated himself from the French and increased its prestige by introducing Dante's Italian language to the native Nissart and French languages. This street is now part of the "Quartier des antiquaries", Nice's renowned antique dealers district. Bonaparte spent several months during 1794 as guest of Count Laurenti at Nr. 6. The story goes that at the time, Napoleon was courting Emilia, the count's daughter. To save her honour and perhaps his neck, he had to jump out of the window before her father's arrival. Around us
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Place du Pin is also linked by two historical streets named after:
