Place Masséna

In front of you opens Place Masséna, where old and modern Nice shake hands. To the east lie the rooftops of the Old Town; to the west, the avenues born of the winter tourist trade.

1An Italian-style square

The square was laid out in the 19th century over the River Paillon, which now flows hidden beneath your feet. Its design was fixed in the 1840s by the Consiglio d'Ornato, the planning body set up by the Kings of Sardinia, with arcades inspired by the Rue de Rivoli in Paris and red-ochre façades in the manner of Turin. It is named after André Masséna, born in Nice in 1758, whom Napoleon called «the dear child of victory».

2Seven figures and a god

In 2007, with the arrival of the tram, the square was completely redesigned. Jaume Plensa's «Conversation à Nice» was installed: seven seated figures, one for each continent, which light up and change colour after dark.

The Apollo of the Fountain of the Sun, by Alfred Janniot (1956), caused a scandal with its nudity and was removed; it returned to its place in 2011.

Every winter the square hosts the Nice Carnival, one of the oldest in France, with its floats of giant papier-mâché heads.

3What to look for

• Plensa's seven figures on their poles.
• The black and white chequerboard paving.
• Apollo, seven metres tall, in the Fountain of the Sun.