As soon as Nik and I learned the address of our apartment building in the Musicians District of Nice, I started looking online to see what I could find out about it. We knew the building was pretty much a new constriction behind an original facade. What I discovered was really quite fascinating. Our building was once an office and warehouse for the Fratelli Branca distillery founded in Italy and based in Milan.
Apartment History
The company of aperitif and digestive liqueurs Fratelli Branca was founded in Italy in 1845. At the end of the 19th century, the company opened a branch in Nice. It was in 1910 that a building permit was filed. Eventually the building included a large basement for storage, a heavily raised ground floor housing three offices and other storage rooms and a floor occupied entirely by the director’s apartment.
It seems the site probably closed in 1918, and was bought much later by the Italian foundation Bussolera Branca, but remained walled up and abandoned for decades.
Sometime between 2019 and the few following years, the building was determined to be protected and enhanced for any construction. Finally in May 2024, the “Palais Branca” residence was delivered with 20 apartments. The original Neo-Gothic facade got rehabbed and remained while everything else was built new.
Related: Finding our Apartment in Nice
This is a very cool Instagram video I came across showing the stages of construction:
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Related: Getting Settled in Nice
Nik has since found an old poster of the Fernet-Branca liquor and it’s proudly displayed above our bar area.
Overall, we’re very happy with our apartment. The building and all of the units are updated and include central air. All of the neighbors we’ve met have been incredibly nice, too. Nik and I are excited to live here for at least the next year.
