Why Italy?
When I started researching day trips from Nice, the options were almost overwhelming - coastal towns, hilltop villages, Monaco, Eze, Menton. But the one that kept jumping out was Italy. Specifically, how close it was. Close enough that I started doing the mental math and realized: the girls could legitimately say they visited both France and Italy on this trip. In a single day.
We were doing it.
We rented a car instead of taking the bus so we'd have the freedom to stop whenever something looked interesting, which, as it turned out, was constantly.
The Manual Transmission Surprise
At the rental counter, the woman mentioned something about a manual transmission in the same casual tone you'd use to describe the weather. I processed this information, looked at Greg, and silently transferred all driving responsibilities to him without a word. I can operate a stick shift if my life depends on it. It did not depend on it. Greg took the wheel like a champ and didn't complain once, which is either a testament to his character or proof that the views made it impossible to be annoyed about anything.
The Drive
I don't have adequate words for what this drive looked like. Mountains, cliffs, the Mediterranean glittering below, tiny towns tucked into hillsides like they'd been placed there specifically to be photographed. Every turn was a postcard. We pulled over more than once just to stand there and stare, and even the photos we took don't come close to capturing what it actually felt like to be in it.
If you ever have the chance to drive the coast between Nice and the Italian border, just do it. Trust me on this one.
Getting Wonderfully, Completely Lost
Before we left, I'd booked us a meal through Cesarine - a platform that connects travelers with home cooks across Italy for private meals in their actual homes. When our host asked about dietary restrictions, I told her we had none and to just give us the full experience. She said she would.
Then Google Maps got involved.
Instead of taking us along a normal road like a normal GPS, it routed us up a pathway so narrow and steep that at one point we hit a hairpin turn that was, genuinely, the exact width of our rental car. I stopped to take a photo. Greg did not think this was the appropriate response to the situation. Once he navigated the turn, somehow, we found ourselves on what could only be described as a footpath. For feet. And maybe, generously, a scooter.
I called our host. She asked where we were, paused, and said "Stay where you are. I'm coming to get you."
Turns out Google had sent us through her family's private access path to their shared greenhouse. Not a road. Not even close to a road. We followed her back to the actual road feeling equal parts embarrassed and delighted, and pulled up to her home where the smells coming from the kitchen immediately made every wrong turn worth it.
The Meal
I didn't take many photos out of respect for the intimacy of the whole thing, but I want to try to describe it anyway.
She told us she was serving a typical Italian Sunday meal, and she meant it - fresh focaccia, handmade pasta, roasted vegetables, and a rabbit stew that I was slightly nervous about and then immediately obsessed with. We talked about her family, her life, Italian culture, history, everything. By the end of it, sitting around her table full of food she'd made for us, she felt less like a stranger and more like someone we'd known for years.
The entire experience cost us $0 out of pocket because we'd booked it through credit card points. Which somehow made it feel even more magical - this extraordinary, generous, completely unrepeatable meal that we almost didn't let ourselves have.
Monaco, Eze, and a Very Close Call
Stuffed and happy, we drove a little more along the Italian coast before turning back toward Nice. The only time-sensitive item left on the day was the Fragonard Perfume Factory tour in Eze - you don't need a reservation, but I knew when the last tour of the day started and I did not want to miss it.
Traffic through Monaco and Monte Carlo slowed us down considerably. We didn't stop - a decision I already want to revisit on a future trip - and pulled into the Eze parking lot with minutes to spare. They let us join the final tour of the day, which was short, engaging, and left me wanting to smell everything.
The gift shop was one of the better souvenir stops of the whole trip. The small fragrance sets were beautiful and actually useful - my favorite kind of souvenir, the kind that doesn't just sit on a shelf collecting dust.
A Few Things Worth Knowing
Renting a car from Nice is absolutely worth it for a day like this. Parking was manageable, the freedom was invaluable, and the views from behind the wheel were unreal.
Request an automatic transmission unless you're confident with a stick shift. Don't assume.
If Google Maps takes you somewhere that looks too small for a car, it is too small for a car. Trust your instincts over the GPS on this one.
Cesarine is one of the best things we did on the entire trip. It's intimate and unlike anything a restaurant can offer. Book it.
Build in extra time if you're driving through Monaco. The traffic is not a rumor.
For souvenirs, the Fragonard gift shop in Eze is a great option - thoughtful, packable, and something people will actually use.
