"paint effects in Nice - the art of trompe l'oeil" Top 5 Page for this destination Nice Travelogue by allaboutnice

Nice Travel Guide: 2,177 reviews and 3,594 photos

the shadows stay, even when there's no sun

examples of trompe l'oeil in Nice

I love spotting trompe l'oeil in Nice. Some are particularly effective. This one doesn't really 'fool the eye' but it is one of the most well-known, due to its location - on the end wall of a building near the 'Galerie des Ponchettes' betweeen the Old Town and the sea. Start walking towards the Promendae des Anglais from the foot of Castel Hill and you will see it on the right. In need of a touch up job (aren't we all)

Look at the windows...

window-dressing, Nicois-style

...in Place Rossetti, in the very middle of the Old Town, by St Reparate Cathedral, look UP over the pizzeria restaurant - the same side as Fenocchio's ice -cream shop.

The window surrounds are painted to look like stone or plaster. It looks quite realistic I think. The most famous example of window-dressing like this is the Matisse Museum in Cimiez.

even the road signs are works of art...

painted, not engraved

You can find this painted street sign, designed to look like carved stone, opposite Le Safari restaurant in the Cours Saleya. Cours Saleya is the name of the square in the Old Town (a long rectangle really), site of the famous flower and food markets of Nice plus several restaurants, cafes and bars. The sign is on a pedestrian entrance to an underground car park (the Nicois do this very well, hiding away their ugly space-consuming car parks underground; I wish we had some in Liverpool)

I wonder if the real signs have all been 'taken' as souvenirs of Nice and have now been replaced with trompe l'oeil. We have the same problem in Liverpool. The road signs for Penny Lane are now painted (though not as beautifully as the Nice signs) Too many were nicked as souvenirs of the eponymous Beatles record.

this one is my favourite...

on the left, the entire windows/surrounds are fake

This tower is at the end of a block of newly-renovated apartments on rue de la Providence in the Old Town. The end tower has real windows and entirely faked, painted windows, shutters and all. The column of four windows on the left are painted; the column of four windows on the right-hand side of the tower are real. I can't tell you how many times we have walked by this building and not noticed. It's my favourite trompe l'oeil in Nice so far.
If you want to see for yourself, it is almost opposite the Church of St Augustin, just off rue Sincaire, close to the Catherine Segaurane monument. Not far from Place Garibaldi.

an ambitious project...

the entire end wall of this building is faked!

The entire end wall of this building is painted. It is quite impressive but not a good photo unfortunately as I did not have a zoom camera at the time. More details in my 'must see' tips for Nice.

I spotted it (you can hardly miss it!) on boulevard de Cimiez walking down the boulevard after a trip to the Chagall Museum.

I was only admiring the Bougainvillea...

poised on the steps forever

...on the number 400 bus coming back from St Paul de Vence when the daughter spotted this trompe l'oeil from the bus window.

It's on either the Promenade de Anglais or, in a block and parallel to the Prom, avenue de Californie, not far from the airport on your way into Nice, look out to your left.

The man, the steps, the balustrade and the plant are all painted. The Bougainvillea is real though.

an attempt to improve the ugliest buiding...

see the column of windows to the right of the tree

...spotted from the express airport bus on the way TO the airport along rue Costes et Bellonte, where the Park Inn Hotel is located. (the former Hotel Arenas and easycar franchises, no longer operating in France for some reason)

Look out on your left. The building is very utilitarian and square, I'm not sure why they bothered, but perhaps the painted column of windows added a bit more visual balance to the structure.

The column of windows to the right of the tree in the photograph is definitely faked. All of the windows on this side of the buiding are possibly painted, it was hard to tell.

Page Updated Jul 4, 2004
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Comments (57)

adema29 Jun 5, 2011 at 8:45 AM Report Abuse

Great pages! My parents will be there in few days, so I saved all your tips for them:)
nicoise21 Apr 5, 2009 at 1:52 PM Report Abuse

I've had my last two birthday meals at this restaurant with my husband and I found it to be the perfect place for a romantic meal in Nice.
berni109 Nov 25, 2008 at 4:59 AM Report Abuse

Thanks for the pointers on how it works. The Nice equivalent of a UK greasy spoon. We ate there twice and enjoyed the experiance.
RickinDutch Sep 25, 2008 at 1:59 PM Report Abuse

Well done on your Nice pages. Thanks for sharing. Birthday greetings from Alaska!
angiebabe Feb 5, 2008 at 2:18 AM Report Abuse

nice page on Nice!loads of wellwritten info - hope to go next week for the Carnival.
Toshioohsako Nov 15, 2007 at 5:47 AM Report Abuse

Yes, I have been to this restaurant many years ago. Goint to Nice during Christmas and wish to visit SPV again Greetings
MBSMITH Jan 1, 2007 at 4:29 PM Report Abuse

We love Nice and have often spent New Year's Eve there and especially at LeVendome - they do know how to party!!!
Herkbert Nov 26, 2006 at 1:37 PM Report Abuse

Lisa.. Very nice page on Nice. We are contemplating a trip there and your page was most convincing. Thanks for sharing.. Tom
travelerfromsj Sep 22, 2006 at 5:22 PM Report Abuse

We just came back from our first trip to this wonderful city. Your tips were very helpful in our planning- thank you!
britinparis Sep 10, 2006 at 11:17 AM Report Abuse

I lived in Nice and ate at this restaurant more times than I care to remember; I still make a point of having supper there whenever I'm down the road... Try the aubergine parmesan, the best I've ever tasted