I think that for most people coming to Nice, its draw isn’t history. Rather they seek the Mediterranean sun, the blue waters of the Côte d’Azur, the fresh sea breeze, and the French cooking. But here in France’s fifth largest city there is a history that spans millennia, and can still be seen today with just a little bit of effort.

A twenty minute bus ride from Nice’s old city along the coast takes passengers up a hill to the neighborhood of Cimiez. And here, visitors can visit the remains of Roman Nice, the city – and even provincial capital – of Cemenelum.

When the Romans conquered the area, a conquest that was completed in the first century BCE, there was already a city in what is now Nice, the small Greek trading colony of Nikaia (descending from the Greek god of victory, Nike, hence the modern name of the city Nice). Established in the third century BCE, Nikaia sat at the mouth of a small river, the Paillon, beneath a hill. It is the area that is now Old Nice.

The Romans decided to build a new city on top of a hill a few miles inland near the river, and over the next couple of centuries, Cemenelum would grow to an estimated 10,000 inhabitants. The city became the provincial capital, although that distinction would eventually be lost to nearby Embrun, called Ebrodunesium.

And then the city was lost to the ages, vanishing beneath a new city of Cimiez, which would become part of Nice as that city grew. A small ruin, part of the Roman bath complex of Cemenelum, was unearthed in the nineteenth century, and while the majority of the Roman city remains buried underneath the modern upscale neighborhood, enough was uncovered at the bath site and a nearby monastery to determine what was actually here.

And let me tell you, what is here is cool.

A visit to the Archaeological Museum of Nice-Cimiez includes access to the bath site, as well as the museum collection itself. The collection ranges from funerary artwork (vast necropolises were unearthed in the area, and especially near the monastery) to pottery, coins, jewelry, and even a few large statues, like one of Antonia Minor, daughter of Mark Antony and his wife (younger sister of Emperor Augustus) Octavia Minor.

The collection is spread over two floors, and although signage is only in French, enough can be discerned to make a visit worthwhile, especially for those with past experiences in Roman ruins for some added context. Those signs trace the history of the Roman settlement, from conquest to decline, and even include information on a huge monument built to commemorate the conquering of the region. (That monument, called the Trophy of Augustus, still exists in part in the village of La Turbie outside of Monaco.)

There are also scale models of what the bath complex outside might have looked like when it was complete.

But of course, the highlight is the ruins themselves. The majority of what is visible today is a bath complex, passed by a Roman road, the Via Julia Augusta.

The baths are remarkably large for a city of Cemenelum’s size – at least to my amateur eye – and grouped into a few different clusters. The southern cluster is the best preserved, with three walls of one of the central buildings still standing, along with one full column and a couple bases from what would have been a pool area outside of it. Other nearby ruins would likely have been used for changing, or even for meeting friends.

Visitors can make most of a loop around one section of the ruin, and traverse some one-way pathways along others, with the occasional sign (in French) to mark the way. Passage into the ruins themselves is roped off, however.

But the most impressive portion of Cemenelum is not within the paid admission area of the museum at all. On the other side of the Matisse Museum (itself 100% worth a visit; I did both on the same day but will write about Henri Matisse separately so look for that article soon) sits the Arena of Cemenelum.

This Roman arena could once hold an estimated 4-5,000 spectators for gladiatorial combats. Most of the outline and basic curtain wall remains, along with two entrances and a portion of the upper wall. Today it anchors a local city park, free for the public to access.

So yes, most people who visit Nice probably do so for its status as the jewel of the Côte d’Azur. But if you’re a fan of history – and if you’re reading The Royal Tour you probably are – it’s absolutely worth taking part of a day to explore what remains of ancient Cemenelum, Roman Nice.

Note: if you find yourself in the south of France and love all things Roman, consider making a plan to see Nimes, easily one of the most impressive Roman sites I’ve visited. You can read about it here.

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