Diane de Poitiers wears the bejewelled crown of France’s most intriguing, and infamous, royal mistress. The chief lover of Henri II, who ruled from 1547 to 1559, an all-powerful Diane made many enemies, and such was her dominant status that she has detractors to this day — many historians write her off as greedy and […]
Paris Architecture
Five Fabulous Artist Atelier Museums in Paris
These five evocative addresses provide much more than a lesson in art. By taking you into one-time private worlds, they reveal much about the inner life of some of Paris’s most celebrated artists. And they might even give you some architectural and gardening inspiration, too! Musée Bourdelle In the shadow of Tour Montparnasse, this remarkable […]
In Search of the Paris of Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette — a villain to some, victim to others — is endlessly fascinating. The ghost of France’s last queen has haunted myriad books, countless hours of screen time. The latest quest to understand this much-maligned but also much-admired woman is Marie Antoinette, an eight-part television series co-produced by the BBC and Canal+. Read on […]
Paris Heritage Days 2022: Programme Highlights
If you’re in Paris this weekend, you’re in for a treat … a.k.a the annual Heritage Days. If not? Schedule a future holiday to coincide with the third weekend of September, for this is when Paris (and the rest of France) celebrate the Journées du Patrimoine. On these Heritage Days, many historic yet private buildings […]