Traipsing around Castle Hills in Old Nice (and ice-cream!)

It only made sense to explore the older section of the city after touring the contemporary streets of  Place Massena, Nice (France), where we enjoyed the best ice-cream in Nice and an awesome vantage view overlooking the bay along Promenade des Anglais. I must have taken at least a hundred photos at the hilltop. This is one of the areas in Nice that I enjoyed the most, so I'll definitely recommend you to allocate some time in your travel over here. Feast your eyes on the pretty pictures and find out what to take note:
Descending from a flight of stairs from the central square, it felt almost as if we entered through a portal into another zone. There is a drastic change in the facade of the buildings, from a metallic silvery-grey landscape to a more muted, rich palette of older residential buildings. The streets became really narrow and crowded, but I really liked how every turn and corner has something to look forward to! If I had all the time in the world, I would love to explore every little boutique and specialized shop... but we only had a limited time for one thing. 
Note: Save your offline maps if you don't have any data in your phone because these streets can get very confusing. There is a lot of opportunity for shopping as well.





But of course - ice-cream! What else, right? ;) Fenocchio Glacier is the distinctive bright pink cursive handwriting logo you should look for if you want to be guaranteed a good ice-cream-lickin' time! There are more than one outlets in the area, but in order not to get too lost with the navigation, the landmark you can look out for is this church at Place Rosetti.

There are so many flavours, we couldn't finish counting them with our fingers and toes. Probably why there is a perpetual crowd - everyone is constantly spoilt for choice on which one to pick. There are a few sections - floral fragrances, alcoholic, chocolate, fruity and some random ones. Other than cups/cones of ice-cream, you can get other desserts and milkshakes too.

My favourite flavours are the Tiramisu, Stracciatella and Pistachio, but go ahead and try the other flavours that you are curious about! It's super awesome especially on a hot summer day in Nice. For the adventurous, you can go ahead and try the Tomato flavour which incited scrunched up faces (or tough attempts of poker faces) all around the table! I found it pretty unique, it's like eating icy-cold beef bolognaise pasta with a refreshing twist.

Note: Another reason to stop at this place is that there is a restroom and a water refill station at this ice-cream parlour.

Fenocchio Glacier
2 Place Rossetti, 06300 Nice, France



Somehow the journey up to the peak at the Castle Hills ended up pretty instinctive. The street signs are all in French, but with some clever deduction, you'll be able to follow them due to their similarity to English. If you are not young and energetic, please wear good shoes. Otherwise, the leisure climb is quite enjoyable too.




The moment I saw the entire city with tiny buildings (so. much. detail) all over juxtaposed against the wide expanse of the cerulean hues of the ocean, I couldn't help but just gape at the beautiful sight! Pictures can't do the scene enough justice.


The whole park at the peak of the castle hills is a picture of peace and holiday... there are people having picnic, playing ball, running around, reading... this is the life man! It's super fun to do jump shots and enjoy the view around. 


This is a waterpark along Boulevard Jean Jaures where there are a lot of children splashing around and basically enjoying life. This area is quite near to Place Massena already! That concludes our time at the Castle Hills in Old Nice.
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I share interesting episodes in life revolving around food, lifestyle, travel and inspirational ideas. If you would like to stay in touch, follow me on my Instagram on @spherepiece and Facebook page!

Amie

a travel and food blogger with a constant longing to be somewhere to makes her feel alive ☆ life's an adventure

1 comment:

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