People talk about the palaces of Old Nice as they do about the Italian palazzi or the private mansions of the Marais in Paris. But what exactly does this term encompass? And what remains today of this noble civil architecture?
Built between 1762 and 1768 on Place Saint-Dominique (now Place du Palais) and the former Dominican convent for Honoré-François Spitalieri, the first Count of Cessole, the palace of Cessole illustrates the influence of Piedmontese architecture in Nice in the 18th century. The central part of the building then housed the French consulate until 1790, followed by the Hôtel d’York, the first hotel for travelers in Nice, while the lateral part was assigned to the family’s residence.
The palace was the scene of many significant events in the city’s history, from the occupation by General d’Anselme (during the invasion of the county by French troops in 1792) to the public meetings preceding the annexation of Nice to France in 1860, including the banquet offered to Garibaldi upon his return from America. The family palace was also the seat of an intense social and cultural life. It was during a dinner hosted by Joseph de Cessole that the foundations of the Franco-Russian Alliance were said to have been laid in the 1890s. Moreover, most of the great musicians of the 19th century were welcomed there by Hilarion and Eugène de Cessole.
