Way back in the 18th century, a fashion developed among the English aristocracy and the new class of wealthy merchants and factory owners, to vist Italy and see the great sites of the ancient classical world.
One of the easiest ways for travellers to get to Italy on their "Grand Tour", as it was called, was to cross France to Marseilles, then take a boat along the coast. Among the stopping places on this sea journey was the small port of Nice;the coast here had an exceptionally mild climate, and it was not long before some English visitors took to the idea of wintering in this idyllic spot between the Alps and the Mediterranean. In an age when modern central heating had not been invented, It was so much more pleasant to stay in Nice than return to a cold damp English winter. Mediterranean tourism had begun.
By 1820 there was a sizeable British colony in Nice; and in 1822, during a bad winter, the Rev. Lewis Way decided to employ local workmen to build a fine walkway along beside the beach. Locals called it the "Promenade des Anglais" the Promenade of the English, a seaside esplande that was thus, apart from hotels and inns, France's first custom-built piece of tourism infrastructure. In 1864, the railway arrived, making Nice far more accessible from Paris and northern Europe. And Nice has never looked back.
Consequently, Nice and its area have a culture and traditions that have much in common with those of Italy. While the city's many fine restaurants and hotels serve the best food in the French tradition, local specialities in and around Nice have a distinctly Italian and Mediterranean flavour, visit with rent a minibus in nice; Pissaladièreis a kind of onion pizza with anchovies; and Nice ravioli, orravioles, need little introduction. Another local speciality, "les farcis", litterally "stuffed things", are vegetables, notably aubergines or courgettes (zucchini), stuffed with a meat rice and herb mix.Socca, known in Italy as Farinata, is a seasoned pancake made from chick-pea flour and olive oil. As a seaport, Nice is also a town known for its seafood, including dishes with the classic Mediterranean fish red mullet (rouget) and sea bream (dorade).