Palais Lascaris

Built in 1648, the Palais Lascaris is located at the heart of Vieux Nice, on one of the main arteries: Rue Droite. Its façade is very low-key and blends into the other buildings in the neighbourhood. In the Baroque style, like many Nice monuments built at this time, it was the residence of the Lascaris Vintimille family until the Revolution. In 1942, it was acquired and subsequently transformed into a museum dedicated to seventeenth and eighteenth century art and music.
Inside, the decoration is magnificent, whether in the various period salons or its monumental staircase, decorated with frescoes and tapestries of a rare beauty. Visitors to this jewel are surprised to discover inside impressive paintings, tapestries, sculptures and ancient furniture. But what is most amazing is certainly its incredible collection of over 500 ancient musical instruments, the majority of which were bequeathed by the notable Antoine Gautier from Nice. This is the second largest in France after the Paris Musée de la Musique, as well as one of the most outstanding in Europe. The Palais Lascaris is registered as a Musée de France. It was also registered as a Historic Monument in 1946.