Rainy Day Nice

Bon jour, mes amies,

The weather has turned just for today, I hope, and this photo does not reflect the dark skies.  I have stout shoes and an umbrella, and when I travel I always expect rain, so I can cope.  The problem is that today is also Really Cold, and for that I'm not equipped.  I layered up to the extent I was able, and it was not enough.  So I scraped my plans for a day trip and just snooted around town and came home early to wash my hair.  The scent is of a sort of soapy musk.  Meh. I don't think I can make that interesting, and I don't have anything fabulous to eat either, so how about a little history?
Humans have been living in in this very pleasant area for a hundred thousand years, but the history starts with the Greeks who brought the Mediterranean Triad, wheat, olives, and the vine to the coast as another Indo European group the Gauls were moving into the area in land.  Most of the major cities along the southern coast of France are Greek foundations.
But it was the Romans who had the most lasting impact.  Provence is so called because it was a Roman province, and the area is famous for its spectacular Roman remains.  Roads linked Italy with conquered territory north of the Alps and also ran westward to Spain.  The language of the Gauls faded away to be replaced by Latin and then dialects based on it like Occitan.  And, of course, Christianity arrived.
I'll skip lightly over the Middle Ages and most of the Early Modern Period.  Like most of Europe the borders of kingdoms and linguistic borders seldom corresponded in the Mediterranean.  Eastern Provence ended up as part of the sprawling multi cultural Duchy of Savoy, and then after the French Revolution was almost cleaned up belonged to Savoy's successor state the Kingdom of Piedmont.  In the mid Nineteenth Century when national unification movements swept Europe, Piedmont made a deal with France.  Nice and its hinterlands spoke French.  The King of Sardinia-Piedmont and his prime minister wanted to unite Italy so were willing to let the French speakers go in return for France helping Sardinia-Piedmont gain Italian territory from Austria.  But the cultural and culinary ties with Italy remained close.
After France acquired Nice and the Cote d'Azure the place with its mild climate became a popular playground for the rich and aristocratic and the magical southern light drew in artists.  The luxurious and artistic results still remain, and I hope to be visiting and sharing some with you.
Dinner is some gnocchi dressed in garlic and olive oil.  And I use olive oil lavishly because it's so good here. Very Med wouldn't you say?--especially with the rose that I'm enjoying here.
A demain