THE HARBOUR AREA

Until the th century, Nice had no port: it was dug at the initiative of King Charles-Emmanuel III in Lympia Cove, to the east of the hill hill, where there is so far an important marsh zone. The work began in 1749 thanks to the military engineer Antonio-Felice Devincenti (from Turin, 1690-1778) who expands and deepens the marshy lake. Opened for navigation in November 1751, it will be a small shelter for almost a hundred years to reach its final dimensions around 1880, when it tînt an important role in the export of local products. At this same time, many painters of passage to Nice, croquèrent, designed and peignirent in all the seams: Ernest Louis Carelli (1848-1925), Gabriel Carelli (1821-1900) and Charles Martin-Sauvaigo (1881-1970), with their fishing scenes and their accents represented in vibrating tones. Between the 1940 s and 1970 s, several improvements allowed it to host larger vessels, improving also links with Corsica. In the vicinity you will notice the Place de l'Île-de-Beauté, bordered by buildings with porticos red facades fortified with bas-reliefs and balconies, and the church Notre-Dame du Port completed in 1853 and built by the architect Jules Febvre, which is itself framed by the houses Pius-Astraudo and Honoré Malbequi, respectively from 1844-50 and 1885-90. Cassini Street in the north-west offers a very valuable concentration of antique dealers for those interested in paintings, trinkets or beautiful antique furniture. Today, the port of Nice is France's first cement port, in conjunction with the galets treatment plants of the Paillon valley. As a second cruise port in France, more than 500 000 passengers per year embark on a journey to Corsica. It has a fishing-related economic activity and hosts a significant number of boaters. From 1 June to 30 September, it is possible to take walks at sea from the port Lympia and discover the promenade of the English and the Baie des Anges as a whole.