We got back from the Cote d’Azur a few days ago and I’m already having withdrawals. It might be one of my favorite cities to photograph outside of Charleston, in fact I’d liken this place to the Charleston of Europe. It’s so charmingly colorful, the climate is temperate and warm, and the food is fresh with a heavy emphasis on seafood and charcuterie. I’ve never met a place that was more creatively inspiring and lovely. I spent the mornings sipping coffee looking at the Mediterranean, pinching myself if this was real. Evenings were spent much of the same, but with rosier cheeks from walking around in the sun all day and a glass of rose balancing between handfuls of baguettes and cheese.
I received an overwhelming response to the photos we posted on Instagram and questions on what we did, where we stayed, and etc, so I wanted to capture all of that here. I will absolutely be back later in life, this place is too pretty to ignore.
Since this was a family vacation, we decided to rent a house in Nice that was close enough to the airport and could act as our rendezvous point between day trips. (Our rental home doesn’t seem to be available on VRBO anymore, they must be making changes to their rental usage.) Our home rental needed to have a functional kitchen to cook in and onsite parking since we were renting a car. When we found this house, we knew it had more bedrooms than we needed, but we didn’t realize the diamond in the rough we were getting. The place was completely undersold with how spectacularly beautiful it was versus how it was portrayed in the photos. It was only a quick 10-minute drive to Old Nice, and there was a Carrefour (local grocery chain) within walking distance to us which acted as our main market for the week.
La Pescade was the most incredibly beautiful property: not only did it have a thriving kumquat tree on the patio, but it also boasted two orange trees down in the garden terrace, of which you had to walk through the Garden of Eden brimming with trellises of geraniums and jasmine.
If you felt like leaving the property, you could take the 173 steps all the way down to the rocky shoreline where you’d find local youths cannon-balling into the sea. I took a more reserved approach wading into the water and diving in. The water was cold and crisp, quite the juxtaposition from the sticky sun that lingers in the afternoon.
I want to put it on record that I think the Mediterranean has the most gorgeous water in the world. I love that it fades from clear turquoise to deep blue. Nothing can beat the contrast of the white rocky shore meeting the gem-like blue water. It glitters in the morning when the sun peaks over the East and it shimmers with the fiery sunset at dusk. If you’re lucky enough to be there for a full moon, the moon shines so brightly your room is equipped with a nightlight that lasts until the birds sing in the morning.
I didn’t take nearly enough photos of La Pescade, the interiors were comfortable and refined, the kitchen was modernized and well equipped with spices and sharp knives, and the portrait of the original owner of the home was a welcoming touch to our weekend in the Cap de Nice. If only we never had to leave.
