Massena square

Under this sublime and mesmerizing checkboard plaza flows the Paillon. It was buried many years ago for health reasons. This entirely pedestrian square allows us to get from old Nice to the modern part of town pleasantly. It is surrounded by palaces with striking red exteriors and white arcades, facing a black and white checkered ground, it truly makes an impression doesn’t it? Especially with its 7 sculptures made by Jaume Plensa. These white resin characters crouched and perched over 10m away from the floor light up as the night sets! Make sure to come back later in the evening! The Sun fountain standing in the middle of the square only got its Apollo back in 2011. Until then, there were only 5 bronze sculptures, representing the planets and gods dominated by the Sun : Earth, Mars, Venus, Mercury and Saturn. In Roman mythology, gods’ names were associated with planets. Inaugurated in 1956, the greek god’s nudity shocked the Niçois, who demanded for it to be taken down. It is said that the sculptor tried to shorten what caused the issue, but it wasn’t enough, so Apollo was moved to another far less frequented district. Today, whether you like it or not, his proud 7 meters of marble will not go anywhere !