Villa Masséna sits on the Promenade des Anglais next door to the Negresco, which is a bit like parking your Rolls-Royce beside a circus tent.

Built between 1898 and 1901 by Danish architect Hans-Georg Tersling for Victor Masséna, Duke of Rivoli and Prince of Essling, it served as his winter residence. Victor's grandfather, Marshal André Masséna, was Napoleon's favourite general, affectionately known as "the darling of victory" for his string of triumphs across Italy.

Victor's son donated the villa to Nice in 1919, and it opened as a museum two years later. Inside, Napoleon's death mask and Empress Joséphine's pearl diadem sit among lavishly preserved Empire-style rooms. The gardens hold a quieter story: a memorial to the 86 victims of the 2016 Bastille Day attack.

VoiceMap's self-guided audio tours trace the villa's Napoleonic connections and its place among the grand Promenade hotels that defined Nice's Belle Époque winter season.