The sunrise was beautiful! Such a relaxing morning! Nick ordered room service for breakfast and we at it on the balcony overlooking the French Riviera the Côte d’Azur.
There is an archeological dig near the Matisse house/museum on top of the hill. It’s quite a drive up a steep incline and the parking is sparse but I wanted to see it.
This is the amphitheater that seems to have been built then possibly remodeled. Just opposite the amphitheater is the Musée et Site Archeologique Nice Cemenelum at 160 Avenue des Arènes de Cimeiz.
The only negative about this place is that all the signs and information is in Italian.
The Roman Emperor Augusta named Cemenelum as the Capital of Alpes Maritimae – which is present day France. This town was established in the last 1st century BCE. It rivaled Nice which at the time was named Nikaia (originally founded by Greeks and Gallic peoples).
Behind the museum is the actual ruins. There were several baths that are quite well marked. They had several recreational areas but no church. That may have been part of the downfall. Nice grew and Cemenelum declined by the 5th century. And now Cemenelum is the neighborhood call Cimiez and is part of the city of Nice.
I definitely recommend this even if you don’t speak Italian.
Our next excursion was to find the Castle on the Hill. Colline de Chateau or Castle Hill.
Well we never found the elevator. We walked up hundreds of stairs and did have a beautiful view of Nice but we never reached to top.
Then we walked to Old Town Nice to find a small restaurant for some dinner.
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