We speak often about our visits and excursions during the primary seasonal months of March through October, yet all year round Via Nissa prepares historical studies, primarily studies on private homes and villas. We research the history of these homes or we do analyses for legal support. Depending on their age, we can focus on the builder and architect or the production of their mills powered by water (Moulins) during the late Middle Ages or the biographies of the individuals who lived or stayed in the homes from inception to the present. It is this intensive research effort which ends up differentiating Via Nissa from those who knowledge comes only from memorizing scripts or even reading books. The personalities come alive when they have been in your living room. This cannot be more clearly seen than in recent archival research we conducted for a home in Menton. We found these photos of Charles de Gaulle, the French general who led the resistance during World War II, holding a political rally in this individuals very home. It is the rare insight we gain from looking deeply into a period that produces the best insights that we can use to tell the story of the Côte d’Azur or the Italian Riviera.
While we can’t predict whether Charles de Gaulle was in your house, there can be little doubt that many other interesting stories will surface that will make for fascinating reading. And beginning in January, the region for our studies will extend to the entire Country of France (yes, that includes Paris).
