L'Art Gourmand

There is in Old Nice a boutique whose window alone stops passers-by. L'Art Gourmand, at 21 rue du Marché, the commercial artery connecting Cours Saleya to Place Rossetti, is an old-fashioned confiserie in the most authentic sense. Its window overflows with coloured jars, loose sweets, berlingots, calissons, nougats, barley sugars, the entire French and Provençal confiserie tradition gathered under one roof.

The address is carefully run by an artisan who has resisted standardisation, where tourist confiseries sell generic products under attractive packaging, L'Art Gourmand offers regional artisan confiseries some of which are difficult to find elsewhere: authentic Aix calissons, Carpentras berlingots, artisan Montélimar nougat, seasonal fruit pastes, Lyon pralines.

House Chocolates

Alongside confiseries, L'Art Gourmand offers a line of house chocolates, truffles, mendiants, rochers, in an accessible, generous register. Bespoke gift boxes, composed on request, are described as perfect gifts for visitors wanting to bring back an assortment of French regional flavours.

Pricing

Loose confiseries from €2/100g. Aix calissons €12-18. Bespoke gift boxes from €15.

Visitor reviews

Highlights: L'Art Gourmand is described as 'a timeless boutique' by many visitors, nostalgia for childhood sweets is a recurring feeling in reviews. Regional confiserie diversity is appreciated. The welcome is regularly described as warm and available. Bespoke gift boxes are very well received.

Areas for improvement: Some visitors find prices slightly high for range confiseries. The address is known to locals but less visible for passing tourists.

Overall impression: L'Art Gourmand is Old Nice's confiserie treasure, a boutique embodying French sweet-making tradition in all its regional richness, in a memorable baroque setting.