A Greek God Just Can't Get Any Respect in Nice, France, Nice, France

If you visit Place Massena, in the very heart of Nice, you will see a large fountain called the 鈥淔ontaine du Soleil鈥�, the Sun Fountain. There are 5 bronze sculptures in the basin and in the centre stands an impressive marble Apollo. He is 7 meters (23 feet) tall and weighs in at 7 tons. He is definitely the king of the square and you would think this giant would be admired and respected鈥� but not by the Ni莽ois.

When the Sun Fountain was unveiled in 1956, the people of Nice were not impressed. Apollo鈥檚鈥渏ob鈥� according to mythology is to carry the sun across the sky every day and he usually does this in his chariot pulled by 4 horses. But this Apollo didn鈥檛 have a chariot and the 4 horses were on top of his head, forming a sort of crown.

The spectators claimed that he looked like an advertisement for the most popular automobile at the time, the Renault 4CV, known as the 鈥�4 horsepower鈥�. So the magnificent Greek deity was saddled with the nickname 鈥� 鈥渢he 4 horsepower statue鈥�. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).

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Guide Name: A Greek God Just Can't Get Any Respect in Nice, France
Guide Location: France » Nice
Guide Type: Self-guided Walking Tour (Article (B))
Author: Margo Lestz
Read it on Author's Website:
Sight(s) Featured in This Guide:

Sun Fountain

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