Category Archives: People

Napoleon I museum, Palace of Fontainebleau, Seine-et-Marne, France

Famous for witnessing many of the emperor’s important turning points, “The true home of kings, the house of ages,” Napoleon once said about this vast castle built in the Classical and Renaissance styles. The Napoleon Museum will unveil numerous major and unique acquisitions, discover at the same time the statesman, the war leader, the head of the family and the promoter of the arts. Napoleon had locked up the pope of the time there for a long time, Napoleon also signed his first declaration of abdication here Appreciate the double-horseshoe staircase in the main courtyard, the Cour d’Honneur, also known as the Farewell Courtyard, after Napoleon bade farewell there on 20 April 1814, before leaving for the Island of Elba. The Napoleon I museum, open since 1986, occupies nearly 15 rooms in the Louis Emperor in vermeil made in 1804 by Henri Auguste, Marie-Louise collar watch), weapons (1801 coronation sword…

In the footsteps of Van Gogh of Arles, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France

Vincent Willem van Gogh lived in Arles from 20 February 1888 to 8 May 1889. That is almost 15 months, over 63 weeks, precisely 444 days. During his stay, he produced over 200 paintings, over 100 drawings and watercolours, and wrote some 200 letters. This period in Arles is frequently called the zenith, the climax, the greatest flowering of van Gogh’s decade of artistic activity. The pedestrian circuit “In the footsteps of Van Gogh” is one of the 9 themed walks offered by the Arles Camargue Tourist Office. Vincent van Gogh spent 15 months in Arles between 1888 and 1889. Coming to seek the light of the South, the Dutch painter produced more than 300 drawings and paintings during this Arles period. The places in the city where the artist set up his easel are marked with panels representing his paintings. During his stay in Arles between February 1888 and…

Dante tourism Guide, places in Italy which inspired the Divine Comedy

Dante Alighieri was most known by his Divine Comedy, which widely considered one of the most important poems of the Middle Ages. There is a common thread that runs through Italy and it bears Dante’s name: if Dante’s journey through the afterlife is also an amazing tour that covers Italian villages, art cities and landscapes. Dante’s presence and the mark left by his fame can also be seen in the art and culture of the following centuries. Most of Dante’s literary work was composed after his exile in 1301, during which the great poet traveled all over Italy. Dante’s writing was clearly inspired by his extensive travels, Since then he lived in Forlì, Bologna, Padua, Treviso, Lunigiana, Verona and finally Ravenna, dying without ever having seen Florence again. La Vita Nuova (“The New Life”) is the only major work that predates it; it is a collection of lyric poems (sonnets…

The Itinerary of the Medici family and the Florentine Renaissance, Italy

The Medici family is an ancient and powerful Italian noble family of Tuscan origin, which became one of the protagonist dynasties and of central importance in the history of Italy and Europe from the 15th century to the 18th century. The Medici and other families of Italy inspired the Italian Renaissance, left the immense artistic and cultural heritage to the city of Florence. These historical sites that are closely tied to the history of Florence, the Italian Renaissance, and the rise and fall of the Medici family’s own fortunes. Florence was known as the center of the Renaissance, attracting thinkers and artists alike to the city through the reputation of its benevolent rulers, and producing thinkers and artists from schools sponsored by the Medici and others. The city welcomed the ideals and philosophies of distant lands, absorbing them into the writing and art that it produced. The Medici family played…

Venice Biennale of Art 2022, The Milk of Dreams, Part 1, The Artists

The 59th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, titled “The Milk of Dreams”, curated by Cecilia Alemani, was open to the public from Saturday 23 April to Sunday 27 November 2022. The Exhibition take place in the Central Pavilion (Giardini) and in the Arsenale, including 213 artists from 58 countries; 180 of these are participating for the first time in the International Exhibition. 1433 the works and objects on display, 80 new projects are conceived specifically for the Biennale Arte. The exhibition “The Milk of Dreams” takes Leonora Carrington’s otherworldly creatures, along with other figures of transformation, as companions on an imaginary journey through the metamorphoses of bodies and definitions of the human. The Milk of Dreams takes its title from a book by Leonora Carrington (1917–2011) in which the Surrealist artist describes a magical world where life is constantly re-envisioned through the prism of the imagination. It…

Guide Tour of the Montmartre district, Paris, France

Montmartre is a district of the 18th arrondissement of Paris dominated by the Sacré-Coeur basilica. Montmartre is primarily known for its artistic history, the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur on its summit, and as a nightclub district. Since the 19th century, it has hosted many artists such as Picasso or Modigliani and has become the symbol of a bohemian way of life. Montmartre is also well known for its museums, vineyards,windmills, and the observation deck on the top of the mountain with a panoramic view of Paris. The district of Montmartre which contains a hill known for its artistic history, the Bateau-Lavoir where Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and Amedeo Modigliani lived and worked in early 20th century, the house of music diva Dalida, the Moulin Rouge cabaret, other historic features, and the prominent Sacré Cœur basilica which sits atop the hill. Montmartre district is a multicultural, dynamic, and family-oriented district.…

Guide Tour of the Montparnasse district, Paris, France

Montparnasse district famous for the artistic effervescence that took place there during the Roaring Twenties. This vibrant, authentic neighborhood, once flocked with artists and writers, retains many reminders of its bohemian past. On the Left Bank of the river Seine, it boasts cultural sights, foodie streets with iconic bistros and cafés and leafy parks. Today the area is most known for Skyscraper Tour Montparnasse and Gare Montparnasse station. One of the most interesting and vibrant of Paris’ diverse neighborhoods, Montparnasse is also soaked in literary and artistic history. Dominated by the boldly modern Montparnasse Tower, the area’s bustling boulevards are populated by cafés and brasseries where famous Parisian artists, writers, poets, musicians and performers gathered and exchanged ideas, particularly prior to World War II. The Mount Parnassus was levelled to construct the Boulevard Montparnasse in the 18th century. During the French Revolution many dance halls and cabarets opened their doors.…

Guide Tour of Musée National Picasso, Paris, France

The Picasso Museum is the French national museum dedicated to the life and work of Pablo Picasso and the artists who were linked to him. The museum collection includes more than 5,000 works of art (paintings, sculptures, drawings, ceramics, prints, engravings and notebooks) and tens of thousands of archived pieces from Picasso’s personal repository, including the artist’s photographic archive, personal papers, correspondence, and author manuscripts. The Musée Picasso is an art gallery located in the Hôtel Salé in rue de Thorigny, in the Marais district of Paris, France. The Picasso Museum opened in Paris in 1985 with a total of 228 paintings, 149 sculptures, and nearly 3,100 drawings and engravings. The building underwent extensive renovations prior to the museum’s opening, and in 2009 it closed for a major expansion, and the museum reopen in 2014. The museum located within the entirely renovated Hotel Salé, erected in the 17th century and…

Guide Tour of Tour Saint-Jacques, Paris, France

The Saint James’s Tower is a monument located in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, France, at the intersection of Rue de Rivoli with Rue Nicolas Flamel. This 52-metre (171 ft) Flamboyant Gothic tower is all that remains of the former 16th-century Church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie (“Saint James of the butchers”), which was demolished in 1797, during the French Revolution, leaving only the tower, the tower as the bell tower of the church was built between 1509 and 1523. The Tour Saint-Jacques stands alone in the middle of a little garden of the same name. The church, itself constructed from the 12th century, was an important pilgrimage site in Paris for Catholics, and a stop on the famous Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle pilgrimage route which leads south through France into Spain. This sanctuary was the meeting point on the Via Toronensis (or Tours route) of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela (Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle). Numerous legends have…

Guide Tour of Maison de Victor Hugo, Paris, France

Maison de Victor Hugo is a writer’s house museum located where Victor Hugo lived for 16 years between 1832–1848. The museum consists of an antechamber leading through the Chinese living room and medieval style dining room to Victor Hugo’s bedroom. Victor Hugo’s House also manage Hauteville House, Guernsey (Channel Islands). It is one of the 14 City of Paris’ Museums that have been incorporated since January 1, 2013 in the public institution Paris Musées. Enter the intimacy of Victor Hugo, monument of literature, world visionary, freedom fighter… Become familiar with the man, the visionary artist, the committed thinker and of course the genius writer. Victor Hugo lived a life worthy of his novels. He composed his writings in a plurality of places. Explore the places where he lived and which he himself shaped. His drawings, his decorations, his literature works. The museum of Victor Hugo, which managed two houses, the…

Napoleon at Fontainebleau, Château de Fontainebleau, Seine-et-Marne, France

Fontainebleau experienced a particularly sumptuous period under the First Empire (1804-1815), during Napoleon I’s visits (1804, 1807, 1809, 1810), which were full of political and family events, the Emperor’s deep attachment to the palace was confirmed. A new lease of life given to the palace, which had been stripped of its furnishings after the Revolution, and also thanks to the brilliant life that took place there. Napoleon I brought the Château de Fontainebleau back to life after the Revolution. He had it restored and furnished and made into one of his residences. A visit to this monument is a chance to discover the different facets of the Emperor: the statesman, the warlord, the head of the family and the promoter of the arts. Fontainebleau is therefore a key stage in the history of Napoleon. Every year, the Château de Fontainebleau is commemorating of Napoleon I with many highlights, notably: some…

Haussmann’s renovation of Paris

Haussmann’s renovation of Paris was a vast public works program commissioned by Emperor Napoléon III and directed by his prefect of the Seine, Georges-Eugène Haussmann, between 1853 and 1870. It included the demolition of medieval neighborhoods that were deemed overcrowded and unhealthy by officials at the time; the building of wide avenues; new parks and squares; the annexation of the suburbs surrounding Paris; and the construction of new sewers, fountains and aqueducts. Haussmann’s work was met with fierce opposition, and he was finally dismissed by Napoleon III in 1870; but work on his projects continued until 1927. The street plan and distinctive appearance of the center of Paris today is largely the result of Haussmann’s renovation. Old Paris In the middle of the nineteenth century, the center of Paris was overcrowded, dark, dangerous, and unhealthy. In 1845, the French social reformer Victor Considerant wrote: “Paris is an immense workshop of…

Guide Tour of Curie Museum, Paris, France

The Musée Curie is a historical museum focusing on radiological research. It is located in the heart of the “Campus Curie” in the Val-de-Grâce district of the 5th arrondissement, at 1, rue Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France. Made up of an exhibition space permanent and an archive centre, it offers the public the opportunity to discover the history of the discovery of radioactivity and its first medical applications with radiotherapy. This museum is a place of memory and knowledge of the history of science. The museum was established in 1934, after Curie’s death, on the ground floor of the Curie Pavilion of the Institut du Radium. It was formerly Marie Curie’s laboratory, built 1911–1914, and where she performed research from 1914 to 1934. In this laboratory her daughter and son-in-law Irène and Frédéric Joliot-Curie discovered artificial radioactivity, for which they received the 1935 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. The museum…

Napoleon at Versailles, Review of 200th anniversary commemorate of Napoleon’s death, Versailles, France

As part of a commemorative event of 200th anniversary of Napoleon’s death, The Palace of Versailles relive the event “Napoleon at Versailles”. Experience the glorious times of the Empire et meet one of the most important figures in French history. The French President Emmanuel Macron affirmed Napoleon’s contribution. Napoleon, a celebrated military genius, became an integral part of France’s legacy. Napoleon gave France its civil code and penal code, established the system of prefects, representatives of the state in each French territory, and lycees, or high schools, among other things. Although Napoleon had always had plans to live at Versailles, that plan remained unfulfilled until his abdication. The Palace of Versailles was partially destroyed during the French Revolution, thanks to Napoleon’s reconstruction plan, the palace was largely restored during this period. Château de Versailles Spectacles is joining in the commemorations of the bicentenary of Napoleon’s death and is offering the…

Guide Tour of Panthéon, Paris, France

The Panthéon is a monument in the Latin Quarter of Paris, France. It stands in the Latin Quarter, atop the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, in the centre of the Place du Panthéon, which was named after it. It was conceived by Louis XV as a grand neo-classical church honouring St. Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris. During the turbulent years of the 19th century, as regimes changed, it alternated in its role as a religious and patriotic monument. Since 1885, the year of Victor Hugo’s death and burial in the Pantheon, it has been the last resting place for the great writers, scientists, generals, churchmen and politicians who have made the history of France. Today it is a civic building that serves as a repository for the remains of great French citizens, including Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Èmile Zola, and Marie Curie. Its design exemplified the Neoclassical return to a strictly…

Guide Tour of National Eugene-Delacroix Museum, Paris, France

The Musée national Eugène Delacroix is an art museum dedicated to painter Eugène Delacroix. At this dedicated museum you can explore the great French painter’s life, his artwork, and his studio. On display are many of Delacroix’s early works including small oil paintings, pastels, and sketches. Delacroix (1798 – 1863) is regarded as the leader of the French Romantic movement in art. He took his inspiration from Rubens and Venetian Renaissance painters who focused on bold colors, sensuality, and a sense of movement in their works. His most famous painting, “Liberty Leading the People”, which hangs in the Louvre-Lens museum in northern France. The Delacroix museum is a unique place. Artist’s house and place of memory, created in homage to Delacroix by the greatest artists of the 1920s – Maurice Denis, Paul Signac, Édouard Vuillard, Ker-Xavier Roussel. Located in the heart of Paris, in the former apartment and studio of…

Guide Tour of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris, France

Saint-Germain-des-Prés is one of the four administrative quarters of the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France, located around the church of the former Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. St-Germain-des-Prés, the 6th Arrondissement of Paris, is best known for the literary and artistic celebrities who lived and worked here in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was the meeting point for existentialists, painters, and writers. Today the heart and soul of the 6th arrondissement, St-Germain-des-Prés is one of Paris’ most charming neighborhoods, just bursting with fine food shops, restaurants, markets and picturesque streets lined with cafés. Known as the true center of Paris, Saint-Germain-des-Prés is one of the most literary and best shopping areas in the city. It’s a real delight to living here, right next to the garden with its stone fountains, its budding idylls, its ornate busts and statues. If you stay in St-Germain everything is at your doorstep, cafes,…

Guide Tour of Rodin Museum, Paris, France

The Rodin Museum is a museum ensuring since 1919 the conservation and dissemination of the work of Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). It has two sites: the Hôtel Biron and surrounding grounds in central Paris, as well as just outside Paris at Rodin’s old home, the Villa des Brillants at Meudon, Hauts-de-Seine. The establishment maintains a collection made up of nearly 6,800 sculptures, 8,000 drawings, 10,000 old photographs and 8,000 other works of art. With 700,000 visitors per year, the Rodin Museum is one of the most important French museums. The Musée Rodin in Paris, France, is a museum that was opened in 1919, primarily dedicated to the works of the French sculptor Auguste Rodin. Situated in the heart of Paris, the Musée Rodin benefits from an exceptional location a few steps from the Eiffel Tower and the Invalides. Comprising an 18th-century mansion and a sculpture garden which covers some 3 hectares…

Guide Tour of Les Invalides, Paris, France

Les Invalides (formally the Hôtel national des Invalides) is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans. This immense architectural complex, designed by Libéral Bruand and Jules Hardouin-Mansart, is one of the most important masterpieces of French classical architecture. The Hôtel des Invalides is a Parisian monument, the buildings house the Musée de l’Armée, the military museum of the Army of France, the Musée des Plans-Reliefs, and the Musée d’Histoire Contemporaine. The complex also includes the former hospital chapel, now national cathedral of the French military, and the adjacent former Royal Chapel known as the Dôme des Invalides, the tallest church building in Paris at a height of 107 meters. The latter has been converted into a shrine of some of France’s leading…

Guide Tour of the Jacquemart-André Museum, Paris, France

The Musée Jacquemart-André is a private museum located at 158 Boulevard Haussmann in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. The museum was created from the private home of Édouard André (1833–1894) and Nélie Jacquemart (1841–1912) to display the art they collected during their lives. Owned by the Institut de France, it has been managed by Culturespaces since 1996. The Jacquemart-André Museum is a museum in a former private palace in Paris. The Jacquemart André Museum offers visitors the chance to head back in time to one of Paris’ golden ages, and often compared to the Frick Collection in New York, it has maintained its mansion atmosphere, which makes it unique in Paris. Discover extraordinary art master works inside of one of the finest bourgeoise museums of the 19 th century. Inaugurated in 1876, this museum lets visitors discover 19th century living areas: ceremonial rooms, monumental stairways, winter garden, private apartments and…

Guide Tour of Grevin Museum, Paris, France

The Musée Grévin is a wax museum in Paris located on the Grands Boulevards in the 9th arrondissement on the right bank of the Seine, at 10, Boulevard Montmartre, Paris, France. The Grévin Museum has no less than two hundred wax figures. The museum has a new look in 2019 with a complete renovation and an unprecedented transformation, new decorsa and more interactive course on 3000m2 space. Inaugurated on June 5, 1882, at the time when the public showed a phenomenal enthusiasm for these ultra-realistic wax statues of the greats of this world. In 1900, the museum was enlarged with a theater combining wax statues, plays of light and mirrors. At the time, there were few photos of celebrities The wax statues were to be exact copies of the glories of the time. The caricaturist Alfred Grévin to sculpt the famous figures of current events. The museum collection ranging from…

Guide Tour of Gustave-Moreau Museum, Paris, France

The Gustave-Moreau Museum is a national museum located at 14, rue Catherine de La Rochefoucauld, in Paris 9th, dedicated to the works of Symbolist painter Gustave Moreau. The museum keeps a total of around 14,000 works. Most of his studio collection is exhibited there, nearly 850 of his paintings or cartoons, 350 of his watercolours, more than 13,000 drawings and tracings, 15 wax sculptures. The museum was originally Moreau’s dwelling, transformed by his 1895 decision into a studio and museum of his work with his apartment remaining on the first floor, bequeathed by the artist to the French State in 1897 for that his work be preserved and presented there. Today the museum contains Moreau’s drawings, paintings, watercolors, and sculptures. The building has three floors. Of the six small rooms on the ground floor overlooking a garden, four rooms are filled with drawings and sketches, one of which is devoted…

Guide Tour of Museum of Romantic Life, Paris, France

The Museum of Romantic Life is located in the New Athens district of the 9th arrondissement of Paris. It is located at 16, rue Chaptal, in the Scheffer – Renan hotel, the former residence of the Dutch-born painter Ary Scheffer and a center of romantic inspiration during the first part of the 19th century. On the ground floor of the pavilion built in 1830, the museum exhibits the memories of the novelist George Sand, who came to visit the painter as a neighbor. The salons restore his art of living there with paintings, drawings, sculptures, furniture, jewelry and showcase objects from his home in Nohant en Berry. The Museum displays on the first floor numerous mementos of the romantic literary figure George Sand, including family portraits, household possessions, pieces of jewelry and memorabilia including plaster casts by Clésinger of the writer’s sensuous right arm and Chopin’s delicate left hand, plus…

Guide Tour of the Paris Liberation Museum – General Leclerc Museum – Jean-Moulin Museum, France

The Paris Liberation Museum – General Leclerc Museum – Jean-Moulin Museum, located at Place Denfert-Rochereau. inaugurated on August 25, 2019 for the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Paris. Discover a fundamental page in the history of France through the journey of two very different men, Jean Moulin and Philippe de Hauteclocque. The liberation of France, of which the Liberation of Paris is the strongest symbol. To dive underground in a high place of the Liberation of Paris, open for the first time to the visit: a passive defense shelter used as a command post by Colonel Rol (future Rol-Tanguy), head of the FFI in the Paris region. The last rooms of the museum house numerous archival documents devoted to the week of street fighting and the day of military operations which led to the Liberation of the capital. The decision to move it and expand the museum was taken…