Nice has so much to offer teenager students, a memorable, exciting and educational experience they will never forget!

Nice has a distinct culture due to its unique history. The local language Niçard (Nissart) is an Occitan dialect, still spoken by a minority. Strong Italian and (less) Corsican influences make it more intelligible than other non-extinct Provençal dialects.

In the past Nice welcomed many immigrants from Italy (who continue to make a large proportion of the population), as well as Spanish and Portuguese immigrants. However, in the past few decades immigration has been opened to include immigrants from all over the world particularly immigrants from other parts of the world, mainly former Northern and Western African colonies, as well as southeastern Asia. Traditions are still alive, especially in the folk music and the dances. The most famous is the farandole.

The architecture of Nice can be astonishing with the wild exaggerations of the Belle Epoque style or the Baroque influenced houses and marisions on the hills of Mont Boron. Fabulous creations have been realized in the floral gardens and parks of the hills of the Chateau, the Chambrun park or the Espace Masséna.

The only way to get to know the real Nice is by strolling through the ochre colored streets listening to the "Niçois" speaking their own language (Nissart) and by tasting their savory cooking, One musn't miss the onion, anchovy and olive tarts called Pissaladières, the vegetable and tuna sandwiches known as Pan Bagnat, the Salade Niçoise or the famous Ratatouille (tomatoes eggplant and zucchini squash stew). The main cooking ingredient is olive oil ot course, and many of the dishes are garnished with the succulent little black Nice olives called Caillettes.

Local pie with onions and anchovies sauce; socca, a type of pancake made from chickpea flour; bouillabaisse and various fish soups; "Stockfish" (traditionally pronounced as "Stoquefiche" (French spelling) with special emphasis on the first "e"), farcis niçois, vegetables stuffed with breadcrumbs; and salade niçoise, a tomato salad with green peppers of the "Corne" breed, baked eggs, tuna or anchovies and olives.

Nice is also a city of art and culture and after Paris, has the most museums in France.

Local market
In the old quarter of the city, on the edge of the ocean, is a large esplanade offering a thousand sights and smells from the South of France: The Saleya Court. Every morning, each in turn, the flower market, fruit and vegetable market, or antique market is held; this magical place where musicians, sculptors and painters offer a wonderful open air show to the enchantment of the passersby.

Every evening, illuminated by the lights of restaurants, pubs and bistros, it is the meeting point for young and old who begin their nights with stop at the terrace of a café. The world never seems to stop in one of the most beautiful and well-known pedestrian zones.

The local Carnival
History tells us...........it all began on a cursed Wednesday when the moon was closest to the earth. A crackpot was strolling through the village all night long, playing his rattle and claiming in his loud voice: "This day is Holy; the moon is your gateway to the ever-after!" The villagers activated their bellows full of flour to make him leave.

A legend was born, which became a popular tradition. From aristocrats, to local folk and even religious men, all would amuse themselves, hidden behind masks, mocking one and all, until "Mardi Gras", day according to the Catholic tradition of Lent, when one would begin fasting for 40 days. The carnival we now enjoy today had its origin in February 1873, when king Carnival the First made a triumphant entrance into the city. Every year since, Nice moves to the rhythms of the drums and the cries of joy that spill forth as the parade of floats file past. Be it during the excitement of the flower fight, or the parade of large heads, the universe of the grotesque and absurd mix in with that of joy and happiness!

Local places of interest close by and a short excursion away

Monaco
A train journey from Nice will bring you to Monaco. This country packs a lot of living into a little land. Most of the people who live here come from somewhere else, drawn by the sun, glamorous lifestyle and - most importantly - tax-free income. This is the playground of Europe's elite, a country where lady luck might clean you out at the casino one day and put you on the Grimaldi's guest list the next. Monte Carlo: Don't miss: Monaco-Ville (the oldest part of the town on a high promontory), La Condamine (where the Monegasque people live), Monte-Carlo beach, and of course....the famous casino.

Cannes
This resort, on the world-famous Cote d'Azur,is the perennial favorite of wealthy scions and the shop-til-you-drop set. During the International Film Festivalin May, Cannes is crammed with more money, more champagne, more mobile phones and more cleavage than anywhere else in the world. Apart from posturing boutiques, hotels and restaurants, it also has beaches with the equivalent of room service, which the sallow studiously avoid.Just offshore is the eucalyptus and pine covered Sainte Marguerite, which was exploited so effectively by Alexander Dumas in his classic novel The Man in the Iron Mask.

Grasse
Clinging to the slopes of the Pre-Alpes 17 km North of Cannes, Grasse has served the country well in the art of perfume production for centuries. It is here that master perfumers - also known as 'nez'(noses) - train their probosci for seven years to recognize around 6000 scents. The town, with its distinctive orange roofs sheltering densely packed cottages, also produces some of France's finest flowers, including jasmine, Centifolia rose, lavender, mimosa, orange blossom and narcotic narcissus.

Antibes
One of the poshest and most famous of the Riviera resort towns. While there, visit the Musee Grimaldi- Picasso (Ancient granite castle was built on the ruins of a Roman camp) and the Musee Archaeologique Bastion St-Andre.

Neighbouring villages
Villefranche sur Mer (5km), Beaulieu (7km), St Jean Cap Ferrat (10km).

Take a local hike!
A ramble path, marked with arrows, fourteen kilometers long, is using the old country lanes which are linking the Var plain westwards, to the Gairaut hills eastwards. It allows, for good walkers, the discovery of the landscapes of the country of Nice, the Bellet vineyards, the olive groves, the traditional floral and market gardening, the pine forests and the green oak woods.

It offers marvelous viewpoints on the Baie des Anges and the hinterland overlooked by the Alpes Maritimes. A visit of the Bellet hamlet, the Saint Roman Church, with a stop by the spring, before taking the Via Augusta, built in 12 AD by August : so many interesting places, which are also telling the history of the region. The starting point is situated at the Lingostière station, which is served by the Chemins de fer de Provence train. Bus services are indenting the route, giving access to the paths, so one may interrupt the walk whenever he chooses to.

Come explore Nice this summer with other international students from around the world!!

TEENAGER SUMMER PROGRAM IN NICE:

E-mail: info@teenagersabroad.com
Tel: NORTH AMERICA: 1 800 219 9924 or WORLDWIDE: +1 416 925 2112