Place Massena

The city’s central square – and not really in the Old Town at all. But you bump into it almost immediately on exiting Vieux Nice, and it shouldn’t be missed.

It used to be a bit of an indistinct, traffic-raddled mess. Now they’ve weeded out most of the cars and put through a rather elegant tramway, so one can properly appreciate the surrounding green areas, open space and statuary.

Thus, the square’s own, grand buildings – all Pompeian red with arcades at ground level – have a splendid setting. Icing on top are Spaniard Jaume Plensa’s seven statues on sticks.

The new tram system, inaugurated in 2007, is flanked with works of contemporary art all along the route. Plensa’s is the best. He’s taken seven different-coloured figures representing seven continents and stuck them on poles around the square. The ensemble - “Conversation in Nice” - works wonderfully, especially when lit at night.