About this place
Place Massena is the ceremonial heart of Nice, laid out in the mid nineteenth century as the city covered the last open stretch of the Paillon river. It is framed by tall arcaded buildings in the deep red the French call Pompeii red, set against a striking checkerboard of light and dark paving. The square is named for Andre Massena, a Nice born fisherman's son who became one of Napoleon's greatest marshals. At its southern edge the Fontaine du Soleil is crowned by a seven metre marble Apollo sculpted by Alfred Janniot in 1956, a statue so controversial it was exiled for decades before returning in 2011. Rising above the square since 2007 are the seven illuminated figures of Jaume Plensa's installation Conversation a Nice, representing the continents and glowing in shifting colours each night.
Key facts
- 1758 year — Marshal Andre Massena, the square's namesake, was born in Nice
- 2007 year — Jaume Plensa's glowing Conversation a Nice figures were installed above the square
- 7 continents — Plensa's seven illuminated figures each represent a continent of the world
📍 Place Masséna 15, 06000, Nice