Why the Nice Opera House Should be on Your Must-See List

The Nice Opera House, located in the heart of the Côte d’Azur, is a stunning Belle Époque landmark and a cultural hub for opera lovers. Its opulent yet intimate setting makes every performance feel personal and immersive. On this particular night, Puccini’s Edgar took center stage, with George’s design transforming this lesser-known opera into a powerful experience. Continue reading here for Deborah’s full article on her night at the Nice Opera House and a chance to see her friend George Souglides’ set design and costume selection for “Edgar.”

Watch the Barefoot Blogger’s Video from the Opera House

Nice Opera House

Registered as a historic monument in 1992, the Opéra Nice Côte d’Azur is a Belle Époque beauty. Initially, there was a small theatre located on the same site. Initially, the Maccarani Theatre was constructed with wood in 1776, a typical building material of the era. The City of Nice purchased the property from the Maccarani in 1826, intending to replace the theatre with a larger opera house. Designed and constructed by two architects, one local and the other from Turin, the Municipal Theatre opened its doors in 1870. However, tragedy struck in 1881 when a fire began during a performance, destroying the building and resulting in 200 deaths. The neo-classical building you see today dates from 1885 and seats 1,000+ people. Please read the entire history of this building here.

Opéra Nice Côte d’Azur
4/6 rue Saint-François de Paule
06300 Nice

Nice, France the 10 Must-See Places

Before or after your Opera House visit, stop at Maison Auer, located directly across the street from the opera’s entrance. This institution for food lovers is one of the oldest candy stores in Nice. This boutique sells many tempting sweets within its Victorian-era décor.

Buy fruit confits traditionally used in ice cream, cakes, or sweet dessert decorations. Fruit confit is sometimes referred to as fruit glacé in France. It was a Roman discovery that they could conserve fruit in honey. The Arabs brought the methodology for saturating fruit in syrup to Europe in the 14th century. Fruit, like many crops, often delivers its bounty all at once. Converting the fruit into a candied form was a way to preserve some harvest. Using osmosis, sugar eventually replaces the water so that the fruit will last long.

La Maison Auer
7 rue Saint-François de Paule
06300 Nice
Open Tuesday – Saturday
Telephone: +33 (0)4 93 85 77 98

Candied Clementines (Clementines Confits) with Moroccan spices

This dessert can be made all year! When I am in France, I buy clementines from Corsica. I can find clementines (sometimes known as Cuties in the U.S.) throughout the year in Los Angeles. It’s a simple dessert that can be served by itself or cut in julienne strips and served on top of ice cream, yogurt or a pound cake (The French version of a pound cake is Quatre Quart)! Please note that the clementines will be a burnt orange colour once they are candied because of the Moroccan spices.

Check out this recipe

Deborah Bine

The Barefoot Blogger, aka Deborah Bine, loves to share tales of her solo life in France as an American expat who speaks no French. Retired from a career in advertising and marketing communications, and divorced after a 40-year marriage with children, Deborah left Beaufort, South Carolina and all of her belongings last year to move to the south of France. Now that she has found her "bliss," her passion is to encourage others to break away from whatever is holding them back and to go after their dreams. "We're on life's journey alone. Be certain you love where you are."

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