Nice is in the heart of the French Riviera, and the largest city situated on the banks of the Mediterranean Sea between Genoa and Marseille. It is an ancient city founded by the Greeks who called it "Nike," or victory.

Today, Nice is modern and cosmopolitan, reflecting cross cultural influences from Greece, Rome, Provence, the Alps and the Italian provinces of Liguria and Piedmont. People come to Nice to experience great cuisine, the joys of opera, the sounds of jazz, and the colors of Matisse, Chagall and other painters who were moved by its luminous skies and verdant hills. It is only minutes away from the home of Renoir in Cagnes sur Mer; the excitement of the annual film festival in Cannes and the jazz festival in Nice; the elegant town of Antibes; the sandy beaches of Cannes, St. Tropez, Juan les Pins and Cap d'Ail; the opulent casinos of Monaco; the medieval village of Eze; and the magnificent Rothschild villa near St. Jean Cap Ferrat. From Nice you are a short train or plane ride to Spain, Switzerland and Italy. Three and four-day weekend trips by car include Paris, Lyon, the chateaux of the Loire Valley, Florence, Venice the running of the bulls in Pamplona or the ski slopes of Grenoble and Switzerland.