Palais Lascaris

The Palais Lascaris museum occupies a 17th-century palace at 15 Rue Droite, in the Old Town of Nice, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France. The palace was begun in 1648 for Jean-Baptiste Lascaris-Vintimille, of a noble family of the County of Nice, and reflects Genoese Baroque taste in its monumental staircase, wrought-iron balustrades and decorated rooms. The principal apartments on the piano nobile preserve painted ceilings with mythological scenes, plasterwork, tapestries and period furniture, giving a picture of aristocratic life under the Dukes of Savoy. The museum also shows a collection of musical instruments tied to Niçois and Mediterranean traditions, and the ground floor holds a reconstructed 18th-century pharmacy assembled from a local hospital apothecary, with faience jars, mortars, glass vessels and laboratory equipment. The building was divided into tenements and declined in the 19th century, and it was restored in the 20th century by the City of Nice, which recovered the ceiling paintings and reopened it as a museum. The approach combines a house tour with thematic displays, which gives an intimate feel compared with larger galleries. Admission is EUR 5, free for visitors under 13, with an additional guided visit at EUR 7 that requires booking. The museum is open from 10:00AM to 6:00PM and closed on Tuesdays and on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. A visit lasts about an hour. The palace is a short walk from the Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate and the Place Rossetti. Floors are linked by stairs, and some rooms are accessible only on foot, so access is limited for visitors with reduced mobility.