Fontvieille is one of Monaco’s newest districts, built
on 23 hectares of land reclaimed from the sea in the 1970s. It is also one of
the most landscaped areas of the Principality, with numerous gardens and
beautiful sculptures.
| Start: Place
d’armes |
Arrive: Place
d’Armes |
| Distance: 2 km |
Average walking time: 1 hr 30 |
|
| Difficulty: None |
|
|
| Notable features: Numerous
museums and landscape gardens, and views of the coast and hillsides. |
A pedestrian path has been created in the district,
allowing walkers to discover this part of the collection, which features works
by artists including RODIN, BOURDELLE, LÉGER, RENOIR, ARMAN, CESAR, and LALANNE.
The sculpture path can be walked in the following way:
From the Place d’Armes, head towards the Place du
Canton. Near the escalator, you can admire Grand Ours by François-Xavier LALANNE. Stroll across the Place du Canton, then take the stairs on the left of
the Espace Léo Ferré. You will arrive outside the UNESCO garden. To the right
of the garden’s entrance, you will see Fernand LÉGER’s mosaic Les Trois Musiciens (1944). Head into
the garden to see works by several different artists: Renaissance by Kim HAMISKY (1986), Le poing (1980) by CÉSAR, Le
7ème jour (1994) by MONTALBANO, Grande baigneuse accroupie by BOURDELLE (1906-1907), Marta Accovacciata by Giuseppe BERGOMI
(1996).
Then take the bridge that leads to the start of the Quai
Jean Charles Rey, where you will find Grande
Carpe (1996) by François-Xavier LALANNE and Solitary (1988) by Sandro CHIA.
Walk along the marina and to the end of the pier, where
you can enjoy remarkable views of the Rock and the headlands of the French and
Italian riviera. Look inland towards the
hillside to see how Monaco occupies a special place, nestling between the
Mediterranean and the Alps.
Next, head to the Heliport and Landscape Park. Outside
the entrance to the park, you will see a horseman with a lance.
Walking through the park and garden, you can admire not
just the sculptures, but also the wide variety of flowers planted in the Rose
Garden in memory of Princess Grace, who was so fond of them. In the Rose
Garden, you will find a tribute to Princess Grace by Kees VERKADE (1983).
The landscape park in Fontvieille also contains a number
of sculptures: La Grande Laveuse (1917)
by Pierre-Auguste RENOIR and Richard GUINO, Woman
smoking a cigarette (1987) by BOTERO, Evolution (1979) by Emma de SIGALDI, a 20th century Monegasque sculptor, Le poisson by ALESSIO (1986), Hommage aux éléphants de cirque by Rolf
KINE (2016), Montophant by ARMAN (1988), Seri
Mutti by Roberto BARNI, Torso
Desperacion by Victor OCHOA, and Frère
et sœur by André MASSON (20th century).