In 1860, the County of Nice - including the city of Nice, obviously - was ceded to France by the Italian Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia in exchange for France’s support during the (failed, mostly) Second War of Italian Independence. The Treaty of Turin between Victor Emmanuel II and Napoleon III made the southern city and its…
Being here at the Matisse Museum, built mainly into the Villa des Arenes in Nice’s Cimiez suburb, I can certainly see the appeal of the area. The climate is mild, the Mediterranean shore a few brief minutes away, but seeming almost as if in another world from this hilltop retreat. The Roman ruins of Cemenelum…
Today, Nice is essential France. There is a bakery on every block, a wine bar next door, and crepe stands abound. There is art, there is culture. There is no doubt that this is truly France. But in fact, Nice is a relative newcomer to France, its inclusion in the country only permanently coming in…
Editor’s note: I spent three days in Bogota back before I started The Royal Tour, so I haven’t written about it. But I enjoyed my time, and while like Sam I agree that Colombia’s capital isn’t as touristic as other places in the country, I disagree with his assessment that it is less worth visiting.…
When planning my side trip from Genoa (my base for the month) to Turin, I knew I wanted to write about the Savoy dynasty that ruled Piedmont-Sardinia and then united Italy from here. (Click here to read that story.) I booked a hotel and found train tickets. And then, realizing I would be arriving just…
It seems that every dynasty has that one monarch somewhere down the line who gets to define the house. Sometimes it is due to greatness - and indeed the number of monarchs with that epithet probably all qualify - and sometimes it is for another quality. Sometimes it is for a specific deed, guiding the…
A cold wind blows under blue skies, chilling me even on what is probably the clearest and prettiest day I’ve had in Genoa, Italy. Legs a bit tired from the climb, I nevertheless smile as I stare out at the view from more than 100 feet up a truly remarkable structure. Sitting atop a rock,…
This is the Genoa most come to see. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the city was home to some of the wealthiest bankers and merchants in the world. Through financing European royalty - specifically Spain - and continuing the region’s traditions of mercantilism and shipbuilding, Genoa became one of the richest cities anywhere. Its…
Here I am, in another city and again writing about Christopher Columbus. In some parts of the world, this makes sense. He is buried, after all, split between Seville (from which he embarked on his famous 1492 voyage) and Santo Domingo (click here to read all about that). His life took him to several other…
In the 1930s, the great age of American railways was coming to an end, as with the end of World War Two, automobile dominance would become ascendant, never to look back. While most major American cities already had their monumental rail stations constructed by this point, a couple stragglers made it in under the wire,…