Nice is a prefecture and commune of France located in the coastal Provence region of southern France. Nice is situated along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and it is only 8 miles from the city-state of Monaco. Nice was founded as "Nicaea" by Greek settlers around 350 BC; its name comes from the Greek goddess Nike. The city became independent after the fall of the Roman Empire, and it was pillaged by the Saracens in 859 and 880. Nice allied with Pisa against Genoa during the Italian city-state conflicts of the Middle Ages, and both the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire sought to subjugate the city. In 1388, Nice placed itself under the protection of Savoy, and the Italian language became the official language of Nice in 1561. In 1543, the city was plundered by the Ottoman admiral Hayreddin Barbarossa during the Italian Wars, and Nice's citadel and ramparts were demolished by the French Army in 1705 during the War of the Spanish Succession. From 1792 to 1814, Nice was a part of France, but it was returned to Sardinia at the Congress of Vienna. In 1860, however, the Treaty of Turin led to Nice being ceded to France in return for French military assistance against the Austrian Empire, and Nice became known as one of France's most beautiful cities, as well as a winter home for European aristocrats. The city's English visitors would leave their mark on the city, as the "Promenade des Anglais" - the main seaside walkway of the city - is named for the English. In 2014, Nice had a population of 343,895 people.
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