or DI PISA. See Pisano. Nice, the capital of a small independent county, and at that time it stood on the left bank of the river, close round the foot of the castle-hill. It afterwards came into the possession, first of the counts of Provence, and then of the kings of Naples; and was sold in the end of the fourteenth century by Ladislaus to Amadeus VII. of Savoy, in whose house it still remains. The town has been taken several times by the French, and was annexed by them to the republic, and made the capital of the department of the Maritime Alps in 1791; but it was restored to Sardinia in 1814.

The administrative division, of which Nice is the capital, is bounded on the N. by Piedmont, from which it is separated by the Alps; E. by the division of Genoa; S. by the Mediterranean; and W. by France. The higher parts of the mountains in the north are covered with forests of excellent timber trees, and the lower slopes and valleys, though unfit for cultivation, afford excellent pasture. Towards the south the soil is fertile, and produces maize, barley, and wheat; besides olives, figs, grapes, oranges, and other fruits. Cattle are reared to a considerable extent; bees are also kept; and there are good fisheries along the coast. The climate is mild and dry, being sheltered from the north winds by the Alps. It is divided into three provinces, as follows:

| Province | Area in sq. miles | Pop. in 1848 | |--------------|-------------------|-------------| | Nice | 1178 | 118,377 | | Onetille | 173 | 60,072 | | St Rémo | 263 | 64,541 | | Total | 1614 | 242,990 |

The town of Nice is remarkable as the birth-place of Massena, one of the most famous of Napoleon's generals. Pop. 33,811.