Two of the most frequently asked questions in my Louvre tour are: "What happened to the Louvre during WWII?" and "Why the museum was not pillaged?" The answer is an amazing history that worth to be told and should be transformed into a movie. Ready to discover it? Everything started in 1939, before the war …
Continue reading When the Louvre was evacuated and Mona Lisa went missing
The last time I was in the Louvre one of my guests asked me to surprise him. He had already visited the museum several times so he was looking for something "new". Well, "new" is not really an adjective you often hear in the museum, where the youngest works are about 200 years old and …
Continue reading Focus on a Masterpiece: The most ancient statue in Paris
Thanks to several tv series and movies everyone knows that a very strict etiquette controlled, in ancient times, the social and private lives of the European royal and aristocratic families. Each country had its own rules that were progressively abandoned, especially in the last two centuries. Today we can still gossip - in a good …
Continue reading Small Talk from Versailles: a day with the Sun King
Today I was dreaming about having a balcony in Paris. Not necessarily a huge one. A small one would be fine for me. One like Le Balcon (The Balcony) painted by Edouard Manet in 1868/1869 would be perfect. I love that picture. It really is one of my favorite paintings ever so I decided to …
Continue reading Focus on a Masterpiece: Le Balcon – The Balcony (Manet, 1868/69)
I am sure that not many of you know something about the Chat Noir Cabaret in Paris but I am quite sure that almost all of you are familiar with this affiche (poster): This black cat which once was the logo of the cabaret itself (the name Chat Noir means Black Cat) became such an …
Continue reading The Chat Noir Cabaret in Paris – Shadow Theatre
November 1 is Touissant, All Saints' Day in France. It is tradition to visit cemeteries to bring flowers to the dead and pray for them. In Paris there are several famous cemeteries that actually deserve to be seen. Here my favorite ones.
On the 23rd of September 1964 André Malraux, French minister of cultural affairs, inaugurated the new Palais Garnier Opera House's ceiling painted by Marc Chagall in the auditorium. That was one of the biggest scandal in Paris history. Discover with me what happened!
Unfortunately due to the acceleration of the pandemic and the infections raising in all France President Macron has announced yesterday a second national lockdown until (at least) Dec. 1st. Starting on Friday Oct. 30th all the non-essential businesses, such as cafes, restaurants, museums, theatres, stores... will close. Only grocery stores, schools and factories will remain …
My little column about French monarchs continues with some more information about Marie Antoinette. This time, since we are in the mid of Dark October, I will share 5 creepy things you probably do not know about Marie Antoinette and her family. 1- THE QUEEN'S HEAD - The French Revolution hit the imagination of many …
A little review about Gabrielle Chanel, Manifeste de Mode exhibition in Paris.
Your Tour In Paris 