Page 199 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Europe

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vegetation have long attracted
visitors, and today it is also a
center for business conferences
and package travelers.
There are many art museums
in Nice, two of which devote
themselves to the works of
particular artists. The Musée
Matisse displays drawings,
paintings, bronzes, fabrics, and
artifacts. The Musée Chagall
holds the largest collection of
works by Marc Chagall, with
paintings, drawings, sculpture,
stained glass, and mosaics.
A strikingly original complex of
four marble-faced towers linked
by glass passageways houses the
Musée d’Art Contemporain. The
collection is particularly strong in
Neorealism and Pop Art. The
Musée des Beaux Arts displays
works by Dufy, Monet, Renoir,
and Sisley.
A 19th-century palace, the
Palais Masséna is filled with
paintings of the Nice school,
works by the Impressionists,
Provençal ceramics, folk art, Skyscrapers and apartment blocks of modern Monte Carlo in Monaco
and a gold cloak once worn by
Napoleon’s beloved Josephine. , Monaco by 1870, he was able to abolish
The onion domes of the Monaco. * 34,000. k (Nice). £ taxation for his people.
Cathédrale Orthodoxe Russe n 2a Boulevard des Moulins (092-16 Designed in 1878 and set in
St-Nicolas, completed in 1912, 61 16). ( daily. _ International formal gardens, the casino gives
make this building Nice’s most Circus Festival (Jan–Feb). a splendid view over Monaco.
distinctive landmark. ∑ visitmonaco.com Even the most exclusive of the
gaming rooms can be visited.
E Musée Matisse Arriving among the towering Across the harbor lies Monaco-
164 Ave des Arènes de Cimiez. skyscrapers of Monaco today, Ville, the seat of government. The
Tel 04-93 81 08 08. Open Wed–Mon. it is hard to envisage the interior of the 13th-century
Closed some public hols. 7 turbulence of its history. At first Palais Princier, with its priceless
E Musée Chagall a Greek settlement, later taken furniture and magnificent
36 Ave du Docteur Ménard. Tel 04-93 by the Romans, it was bought frescoes, is open to the public
53 87 20. Open Wed–Mon. from the Genoese in 1297 by from April to September.
Closed Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25. & 7 the Grimaldis who, in spite of The aquarium of the Musée
bitter family feuds, still rule as Océanographique holds rare
the world’s oldest monarchy. species of marine plants and
Monaco covers 1.9 sq km animals. Marine explorer
(0.74 sq miles) and, although Jacques Cousteau established
its size has increased by one- his research center here.
third in the form of landfills, it
still occupies an area smaller
than New York’s Central Park.
The best-known section of
Monaco is Monte Carlo. People
flock to the annual car rally held
here in January, but the area
owes its renown mainly to its
Grand Casino. Source of
countless legends, it was
instituted by Charles III to save
himself from bankruptcy in
A quiet stretch along Nice’s 5 km (3 miles) 1856. So successful was this The lavish surroundings of the belle époque
of beachfront money-making venture that, Grand Casino, Monaco

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