Place Massena (Massena Square), Nice (must see)

Andre Messena was a boy from Nice who became a Marshal of France. Messena Square in Nice is named for him. The square was designed by Joseph Vernier in 1844. It is spacious and bordered by ochre-colored Italianate buildings, palm trees and stone pines. It is but a short walk from the English Promenade and the Albert I Garden.

Massena Square is a popular place for concerts, public events and festivals. The Carnival Parade, Bastille Day, and other traditional observances are held in the square. One feature of the square is the Open Sky Museum. Seven Buddhist figures sit on stilts high above the square. At night they light up in different colors.

The Open Sky Museum also has a display of blue green "fairy" lights in a form of poetic Morse code. Opposite the lights is the sculpture Neufs Lignes Obliques, nine diagonal lines created for the 150th anniversary of Nice as a French city. Meanwhile, in the Sun Fountain, the god Apollo is in full monte watching over the city watching him.

The Promenade de Paillon is a luscious green park on the side of the square. The park has shrubs and palm trees and the Mirror Fountain. The base of the mirror is polished stone that shines like a mirror when wet. To provide this effect, thin jets of water spurt up at evenly spaced points. Children (and adults) run joyfully through the mists.

Facing the Promenade de Paillon is the Albert I Garden. A public park created in the 1880s, the Albert I Garden extends from Massena Square, connecting the English Promenade to Nice Old Town. The park is the venue for festivals in the summer, especially the Nice Jazz Festival. It has fountains and exotic flowers; a calm green area in the day.

Why You Should Visit:
The square is the heart of Nice. Spacious and busy but never oppressively crowded, it offers something for each generation.