The Cyrano Statues

Two statues of Cyrano de Bergerac, on the Place Pélissière and the Place de la Myrpe

Bergerac contains two public statues of Cyrano de Bergerac, separated by a few hundred metres and about three decades of sculptural fashion. The older one, by Émilien Cabuchet, stands on the Place de la Myrpe — a stone figure in 17th-century dress, with the famously large nose and a sword at the hip. The newer, bronze Cyrano by Mauro Corda, installed in 2005, stands on the Place Pélissière in a more theatrical pose, cloak swirling.

Between them they make a small thematic walk through the old town. Both squares have a cafe or two within sight, so the tour can comfortably be made into a pause for a glass of Bergerac white.

things to do sight
A story
The historical Cyrano — Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac, the 17th-century playwright and duellist — was a Parisian who took his surname from a family property elsewhere in France, with no real link to the town. The character familiar from Edmond Rostand's 1897 play is largely Rostand's invention. None of which has stopped Bergerac from claiming him with enthusiasm.