Do you want to take your eyes off the Baie des Anges in the dazzling light of the French Riviera? Head for the Nice hill of Cimiez and the former Excelsior Regina Palace, where Queen Victoria resided from 1897 to 1899. A well-stocked wallet would even allow you to do a double blow by settling in this listed hotel, a residential building since the 1930s, which perpetuates the charm and elegance of a bygone (beautiful) era. The Sotheby’s Nice Côte d’Azur agency is selling the apartment-studio of the painter Henri Matisse (1869-1954): five air-conditioned rooms, 165 square meters facing south with French windows overlooking the exotic garden and the blue waves. “When I understood that every morning I would see this light again, I could not believe in my happiness. I decided not to leave Nice and I lived there practically all my life”, savored the artist. The entry ticket for this heritage CinémaScope on Nissa la Bella: nearly 2.480 million euros§

65 %

This is the share of French people indicating that they maintain good relations with their neighbours. An average that hides disparities between rural areas, where this figure reaches 70%, and large cities, where it drops to 61%*.

What is the profile of the ideal neighbor? For 58% of French respondents, it is the person who is ready to keep an eye on the house during the holidays, ahead of the one who is always ready to lend a hand (47%), and the one who has the green thumb and shares its cuttings and seedlings (24%). Note that one in three French people say they have already taken part in a neighborhood meal or aperitif, with work and gardening within the condominium coming in second place (15%). But, when it comes to good neighbourliness, our compatriots do a double standard: if they willingly exchange practical information on the neighborhood (86%), DIY tools (83%) or books (78%), they are less likely to lend their wifi code (37%). Even more surprising: about a quarter of the inhabitants of large metropolises do not know the first name of their neighbor!

* Yougov study for SeLoger

photos : SOTHEBY’S REALTY