La Place Masséna

Created in 1840, the most famous square in the Côte d'Azur has never stopped renewing itself. Place Masséna was designed to link the old quarters with the resort town that developed on the right bank of the Paillon. It became the center of the city thanks to its successful layout, marking the meeting point between the Old Nice, the access to the Promenade des Anglais, the beginning of Rue Masséna which is more commonly known as "la zone piétonne" [the pedestrian area] as well as the beginning of the busy shopping street, Avenue Jean Médecin. Moreover, Nice's Galeries Lafayette are located here, behind a majestic red façade. It sets the tone for the colour of the other buildings surrounding the square.
Spanish artist Jaume Plensa gave this place a new perspective by installing his work "Conversation in Nice." He conceived of seven statues perched here at around ten metres above the ground, representing the seven continents and which are illuminated when night falls. Crossed by the Promenade du Paillon, a 12-hectare park in the heart of the city, it is part of a setting combining iconic architecture, verdant vegetation and an azure blue sky. A real meeting place, it's partly here that the city's major events take place and where the famous floats of the Carnaval de Nice parade every year.