Europe - Vol. 1

EUROPE

Tumbaco Family Vacation, VOL. 1

our First Trip

A Leslie Tumbaco Design

All information and images from Eyewitness Travel (France & Italy) or from Wikipedia unless otherwise sourced at the end of the itinerary.

EUROPE Contents 3 Where We Go A complete itinerary of our travels in Italy and France. Includes all sightseeing, museums and dates.

5 Escape to Italy With a history spanning more than 2,500 years, one of the birthplaces of Western civilization.

61 Explore France The country of the Franks has shaped and influenced culture and politics of the world for years.

104 Appendix Important maps, language and other reference information we might need during the trip.

WHERE WE GO

Italy June 21 - 27

Day 1: Saturday, June 21 Arrival in Rome Check-in Villa Medici Spanish Steps Trevi Fountain Temple of Hadrian

Day 2: Sunday, June 22 Meeting Porta Portese Piazza Bocca della Verita Circus Maximus Piazza del Campidoglio Piazza Venezia Piazza del Quirinale Piazza della Repubblica

Fountain of the Tritons at Piazza Spanish Steps Bocca della Verita

Day 3: Monday, June 23 Ponte Sisto Campo de’ Fiori Piazza Navona San Luigi dei Francesi Pantheon Santa Maria sopra Minerva

Day 4: Tuesday, June 24 Piazza del Popolo Villa Borghese Piazza Barberini Piazza di Porta Maggiore

Day 5: Wednesday, June 25 Travel to Florence Uffizi Gallery Piazza della Signoria Florence Cathedral Return to Rome

Day 6: Thursday, June 26 Daddy arrives in Rome Colosseum Arch of Constantine Palatine Hill Arch of Titus Roman Forum Arch of Septimius Severus

Day 7: Friday, June 27 Vatican Museums St. Peter’s Square Janiculum

Roman Forum Florence Cathedral Trajan’s Column at Piazza Venezia

WHERE WE GO

France June 28 - July 5

Day 1: Saturday, June 28 Arrival in Paris Check-in Notre Dame Le Marais Seine River Tour

Sainte Chapelle Arch of La Defense

Day 2: Sunday, June 29 Meeting Sainte Chapelle Palais de Justice/la Cite Conciergerie

Day 3: Monday, June 30 Palais Royal Tuileries Place de la Concorde Champs-Elysees Elysee Palace Arc de Triomphe La Defense

Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles Seine River Musee du Louvre

Day 4: Tuesday, July 1 Palace of Versailles Gardens of Versailles

Day 5: Wednesday, July 2 Musee du Louvre

Day 6: Thursday, July 3 Musee d’Orsay Les Invalides Tour Eiffel

Day 7: Friday, July 4

Saint Denis Latin Quarter Pantheon Jardin du Luxembourg Catacombs

Ponte Sisto in Rome

ESCAPE TO ITALY With a history spanning more than 2,500 years, one of the birthplaces of Western civilization welcomes you.

Italy has drawn people in search of culture and romance for many centuries. Few countries can compete with its Classic origins, its art, architecture, musical and literary traditions, its scenery or food and wine. The ambiguity of

its modern image is also fascinating: since World War II Italy has climbed into the top ten world economies, yet at its heart it retains many of the customs, traditions, and regional allegiances of its agricultural heritage.

Thanks to the great longitudinal extension of the peninsula and the mostly mountainous internal conformation, the climate of Italy is highly diverse. In most of the inland northern and central regions, the climate ranges from humid subtropical to humid continental and oceanic. In particular, the climate of the Po valley geographical region is mostly continental, with harsh winters and hot summers.

GEOGRAPHY Italy is located in Southern Europe and comprises the boot-shaped Italian Peninsula and a number of islands including the two largest, Sicily and Sardinia.

The country’s total area is 116,306 sq mi, of which 113,522 sq mi is land and 2,784 sq mi is water. Including the islands, Italy has a coastline and border of 4,722 miles on the Adriatic, Ionian, Tyrrhenian seas, and borders shared with France, Austria, Slovenia and Switzerland. San Marino and Vatican City, both enclaves, account for the remainder.

The Apennine Mountains form the peninsula’s backbone and the Alps form most of its northern boundary, where Italy’s highest point is located on Mont Blanc (15,782 ft).

The Po, Italy’s longest river (405 mi), flows from the Alps on the western border with France and crosses the Padan plain on its way to the Adriatic Sea. The five largest lakes are, in order of diminishing size: Garda (142 sq mi), Maggiore (82 sq mi, shared with Switzerland), Como (56 sq mi), Trasimeno (48 sq mi) and Bolsena (44 sq mi).

The coastal areas of Liguria, Tuscany and most of the South generally fit the Mediterranean climate stereotype (Köppen climate classification Csa). Conditions on peninsular coastal areas can be very different from the interior’s higher ground and valleys, particularly during the winter months when the higher altitudes tend to be cold, wet, and often snowy. The coastal regions have mild winters and warm and generally dry summers, although lowland valleys can be quite hot in summer. Average winter temperatures vary from 0 °C (32 °F) on the Alps to 12 °C (54 °F) in Sicily, like so the average summer temperatures range from 20 °C (68 °F) to over 30 °C (86 °F).

Politics Italy has been a unitary parliamentary republic since 2 June 1946, when the monarchy was abolished by a constitutional referendum. The President of Italy (“Presidente della Repubblica”), currently Giorgio Napolitano since 2006, is Italy’s head of state.

The President is elected for a single seven years mandate by the Parliament of Italy in joint session. Italy has a written democratic constitution, resulting from the work of a Constituent Assembly formed by the representatives of all the anti-fascist forces that contributed to the defeat of Nazi and Fascist forces during the Civil War. Italy has a parliamentary government based on a proportional voting system.

The parliament is perfectly bicameral: the two houses, the Chamber of Deputies (that meets in Palazzo Montecitorio) and the Senate of the Republic (that meets in Pala-

zzo Madama), have the same powers. The Prime Minister, officially President of the Council of Ministers (Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri), is Italy’s head of government. The Prime Minister and the cabinet are appointed by the President of the Republic, but must pass a vote of confidence in Parliament to become in office.

While the office is similar to those in most other parliamentary systems, the Italian prime minister has less authority than some of his counterparts. The prime minister is not authorized to request the dissolution of Parliament or dismiss ministers (that are exclusive prerogatives of the President of the Republic) and must receive a vote of approval from the Council of Ministers—which holds effective executive power—to execute most political activities.

A peculiarity of the Italian Parliament is the representation given to Italian citizens permanently living abroad: 12 Deputies and 6 Senators elected in four distinct overseas constituencies. In addition, the Italian Senate is characterized also by a small number of senators for life, appointed by the President “for outstanding patriotic merits in the social, scientific, artistic or literary field”.

Former Presidents of the Republic are ex officio life senators.

Italy is subdivided into 20 regions (regioni, singular regione), five of these regions having a special autonomous status that enables them to enact legislation on some of their local matters. The country is further divided into 110 provinces (province) and 8,100 municipalities (comuni). There are also 15 metropolitan cities (città metropolitane), established in 2009, but this administrative division is not yet operational.

Culture For centuries divided by politics and geography until its eventual unification in 1861, Italy has developed a unique culture, shaped by a multitude of regional customs and local centres of power and patronage.

The Pope (L) prays at the Quirinale Palace with President Napolitano (R) During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, a number of magnificent courts competed for attracting the best architects, artistis and scholars, thus producing an immense legacy of monuments, paintings, music and literature.

Italy has more UNESCO World Heritage Sites (49) than any other country in the world, and has rich collections of art, culture and literature from many different periods. The country has had a broad cultural influence worldwide, also because numerous Italians emigrated to other places during the Italian diaspora. Furthermore, the nation has, overall, an estimated 100,000 monuments of any sort (museums, palaces, buildings, statues, churches, art galleries, villas, fountains, historic houses and archaeological remains).

Day One

Villa Medici Spanish Steps Trevi Fountain Temple of Hadrian

Villa Medici

Superbly positioned on the Pincio Hill, this 16th-century villa has retained the name that it assumed when Cardinal Ferdinando de’Medici bought it in 1576. Like the Villa Borghese that adjoins them, the villa’s gardens were far more accessible than the formal palaces such as Palazzo Farnese in the heart of the city. For a century and a half the Villa Medici was one of the most elegant and worldly settings in Rome, the seat of the Grand Dukes’ embassy to the Holy See.

When the male line of the Medici died out in 1737, the villa passed to the house of Lorraine and, briefly in Napo-

INFORMATION

leonic times, to the Kingdom of Etruria. In this manner Napoleon Bonaparte came into possession of the Villa Medici, which he transferred to the French Academy at Rome.

It is still home to the French Academy, founded in 1666 to give artists the chance to study in Rome. From 1803 musicians were also allowed to study here: both Berlioz and Debussy were students.

The villa is open only for exhibitions, but the formal gardens with a gorgeously frescoed pavilion and copies of ancient statues, can be visited in certain months.

Hours Garden Visits: Open Tuesday-Sunday 10:30am-12:30pm, 2-5:30pm (Cardinal’s apartments: Wed. only)

Admission 12€ (Regular fare) 6€ (Reduced fare for students) (includes guided tour of Villa, gardens and exhibition)

Other Guided tours in English at noon only. (http://www.villamedici.it/en/culturalevents/events-programme/2013/01/guidedtours/) No free wandering; must be on guided tour.

How to Get Here Transport from hotel: Walk to Balduina station. Take FL3 toward Ostiense for 2 stops. Get off at Valle Aurelia. Switch to Metro and take MEA toward Anagnina for 5 stops. Get off at Spagna.. Climb the steps of Trinità dei Monti (lift available but with limits for disabled persons) or walk up to via San Sebastianello until you reach via della Trinità dei Monti (ground level of Villa Borghese and Villa Medici).

Piazza di Spagna & Spanish Steps Shaped like a crooked bow tie, and surrounded by muted, shuttered facades, Piazza di Spagna is crowded all day and (in summer) most of the night. The most famous square in Rome, it takes its name from the Palazzo di Spagna, built in the 17th century to house the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See.

The piazza has long been the haunt of foreign visitors and expatriates. In the 18th and 19th centuries the square stood at the heart of the city’s main hotel district. Some of the travelers came in search of knowledge and inspiration, although most were more interested in collecting statues to adorn their family homes.

When the Victorian novelist

Charles Dickens visited, he reported the Spanish Steps were crowded with models dressed as Madonnas, saints, and emperors, hoping to attract the attention of foreign artists.

The steps were built in the 1720s to link the square with the French church of Trinita dei Monti above. The French wanted to place a statue of Louis XIV at the top, but the pope objected, and it was not until the 1720s that the Italian architect Francesco de Sanctis produced the voluptuous Rococo design that satisfied both camps.

The Fontana Barcaccia, sunk into the paving at the foot of the steps due to low water pressure, was designed by Bernini’s less famous father, Pietro.

FUN FACTS

#1 Fontana della Barcaccia literally means “Fountain of the Ugly Boat” in Italian.

#2 The 1953 film ‘Roman Holiday,’ starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, made the Spanish Steps famous to an American audience.

#3 In the piazza, at the corner on the right as one begins to climb the steps, is the house where English poet John Keats lived and died in 1821; it is now a museum dedicated to his memory, full of memorabilia of the English Romantic generation.

#4 The steps are not a place for eating lunch, being forbidden by Roman urban regulations, but they are usually crowded with people.

Trevi Fountain

Competitions had become the rage during the Baroque era to design buildings, fountains and even the Spanish Steps. In 1730 Pope Clement XII organized a contest in which Nicola Salvi initially lost to Alessandro Galilei – but due to the outcry in Rome over the fact that a Florentine won, Salvi was awarded the commission anyway.

Work began in 1732 and the fountain was completed in 1762, long after Salvi’s death, when Pietro Bracci’s Oceanus (god of all water) was set in the central niche.

The Trevi Fountain was finished in 1762 by Giuseppe Pannini, who substituted the present allegories for planned sculptures of Agrippa and “Trivia”, the Roman virgin. The cen-

tral figures are Neptune, flanked by two Tritons, one trying to master an unruly sea horse, the other leading a quieter beast, symbolizing the two contrasting moods of the sea.

The site originally marked the terminal of the Aqua Virgo aqueduct, built by Augustus’s right-hand man and son-in-law, Agrippa, in 19 BC to channel water to Rome’s new bath complexes. It served Rome for over four hundred years.

One of the reliefs on the first story shows a young vigrin girl, Trivia, after whom the fountain may have been named. She is said to have first shown the spring, 14 miles from the city, to thirsty Roman soldiers.

FUN FACTS

#1 In 1629 Pope Urban VIII, finding the earlier fountain insufficiently dramatic, asked Gian Lorenzo Bernini to sketch possible renovations.

#2 The majority of the fountain is made from Travertine stone, quarried near Tivoli, about 35 kilometers east of Rome.

#3 Coins are purportedly meant to be thrown using the right hand over the left shoulder. An estimated 3,000 Euros are thrown into the fountain each day.

How to Get Here Walking from Spanish Steps: Head south toward Via Borgognona.

Continue onto Via di Propaganda.

Continue onto Via di Sant’Andrea delle Fratte. Turn right onto Via del Bufalo. Turn left onto Via Poli.

Turn right onto Via del Tritone.

Turn left onto Piazza Poli. Continue onto Via Poli. Continue onto Piazza di Trevi.

Temple of Hadrian The Temple of Hadrian is a temple to the deified Hadrian on the Campus Martius in Rome, Italy, built by his adoptive son and successor Antoninus Pius in 145 and now incorporated into a later building in the Piazza di Pietra (Piazza of Stone - derived from use of the temple’s stones to build the piazza).

One wall of the cella survives, together with 11 of the 15-metre high Corinthian columns from the external colonnade, on a 4m high peperino base. The fixing holes for its original marble covering can still be seen. This facade, along with the architrave (reconstructed after antiquity), was incorporated into a 17th-century papal palace by Carlo

Fontana, now occupied by the Borsa bank. The building was octostyle and had 15 columns on each long side (4 have been lost from the surviving side).

Inside the bank the remains of the non-apsidal naos can be seen, once covered by a barrel vault supported on columns between which were battle-trophies.

The base of the columns had reliefs of personifications of the provinces of the empire (some of which are now in the National Roman Museum and Capitoline Museums) demonstrating Hadrian’s less warlike policy than his predecessor Trajan.

FUN FACT

The temple had a large square arcade surrounded by columns in giallo antico and which opened onto the Via Lata (now the Via del Corso) through a triumphal arch.

This arch has been identified as the one called the “arch of Antoninus” in later sources, but has also been called the “arch of Claudius” and the “arch of the Tosetti”, from the name of the family that inhabited Piazza Sciarra (now disappeared due to road-widening of the Via del Corso). Despite having fallen into ruin and been demolished, the arch still gave its name in the 18th century to the ‘Via dell’Archetto’.

How to Get Here Walking from Trevi Fountain: Head west toward Vicolo del Forno. Continue onto Via delle Muratte. Continue onto Via di Pietra. Turn right onto Via dei Bergamaschi.

dining € - Bakery, Pizza Forno Campo De’ Fiori Piazza Campo De’ Fiori 22 8:00 am - 8:00 pm Price range: inexpensive Accepts credit Seating: none

Frullati Pascucci Via di Torre Argentina 20 6:00 am - 12:00 am Price range: moderate Accepts credit Seating: none

€€ - Italian, Wine bar € - Italian Antica Enoteca Pastificio Via della Croce 76 B Via della Croce 8 11:30 am - 1:00 am 10:00 am - 7:00 pm Price range: moderPrice range: under €7 ate Cash only Accepts credit Seating: none Seating: indoor/outdoor €€ - Italian Dar Filettaro €€ - Italian Largo dei Librari 88 Da Francesco 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm Piazza del Fico 29 Price range: €8-20 12:30 pm - 12:00 am Seating: outdoor/inPrice range: €8-20 door Accepts credit Seating: outdoor €€ - Market Mercato Campo de’ €€ - Brewery, BurgFiori ers Piazza Campo de’ Open Baladin Fiori Via degli Specchi 6 6:00 am - 2:00 pm 12:00 pm - 2:00 am Price range: moderPrice range: €8-20 ate Accepts credit Cash only Seating: indoor €€ - Juice bar

€€ - Italian, Wine

bar Cul de Sac Piazza Pasquino 73 12:30 pm - 1:00 am Price range: €5-10 Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor €€€ - Italian, Wine bar, Gourmet deli Roscioli Via dei Giubbonari 21 12:30 pm - 04:00 pm 07:00 pm - 12:00 am Reservation suggested Price range: €21-40 Accepts credit Seating: indoor €€€ - Italian, Wine bar Cavour 313 Via Cavour 313 12:30 pm - 5:00 pm 7:30 pm - 12:30 am Price range: pricey Accepts credit Seating: indoor €€€ - Chocolatier La Bottega del Cioccolato Via Leonina, 82 9:00 am - 7:30 pm Price range: pricey Seating: none

Day TWO

Meeting Porta Portese Piazza Bocca della Verita Circus Maximus Capitoline Hill Piazza del Quirinale Piazza della Repubblica

Meeting ROMA SPAGNOLA VALLE AURELIA

Meeting Times

Directions

Cong. Bible Study: Tuesday, 7:00 PM Public Meeting: Sunday, 11:00 AM

From hotel by train: Take the FL3 train toward Tiburtina. Stay on the train for 2 stops. Get off at Valle Aurelia and head southwest on Via Angelo Emo. Continue onto Via Baldo degli Ubaldi. Turn right onto Viale di Valle Aurelia.

(Approx. 20 min. travel time)

Address Viale di Valle Aurelia 110 00167 Roma RM

Porta Portese Travestere’s famous flea market was established shortly after the end of World War II and is said to have grown out of the thriving black market that operated at Tor di Nona, opposite Castel Sant’Angelo, during those lean years.

Anything and everything seems to be for sale, piled high on stalls in carefully arranged disorder -- clothes, shoes, bags, linen, luggage, camping equipment, towels, pots, pans, kitchen utensils, plants, pets, cassettes and CDs, old LPs, and 78s.

FUN FACT

The gate was built in 1644 as part of the Janiculum Walls which replaced the Porta Portuensis.[1] The gate and walls were built by Vincenzo Maculani; commissioned by Pope Urban VIII.[2] Just outside the gate, a large arsenal was erected by Clement XI starting from 1714.

How to Get Here Transport from Meeting: Start at Stazione Valle Aurelia. Take Metro A toward Anagnina. Stay on for 8 stops. Get off at Termini stop to switch to Metro B toward Laurentina. Stay on for 4 stops. Get off at Piramide stop. Walk to Piramide (MB) bus stop. Take Line 3B toward Stazione Trastevere (FS). Stay on for 5 stops and get off at Porta Portese.

Piazza Bocca della Verita The site of Rome’s first port and its busy cattle market, this is an odd little corner of the city, stretching from the heavily trafficked road running along the Tiber to the southern spur of the Capitoline Hill, a place of execution from ancient times until the Middle Ages. There are many sites in the area, notably two temples from the Republican era. In the 6th century the area became home to a Greek community who founded the churches of San Giorgio in Velabro and Santa Maria in Cosmedin.

The square lies in the ancient area of the Forum Boarium, just in front of the Tiber Island; it takes its name from the Bocca

della Verità, a medieval drain cover placed under the portico of the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin.

Besides the church, dating back to the late Middle Ages, the square houses the Arcus Argentariorum, the Arch of Janus, the Temple of Hercules Victor and the Temple of Portunus, a deity related to the ancient river harbour.

The fountain in front of the two temples, called Fountain of the Tritons, released by Carlo Bizzaccheri under commission of Pope Clement XI, was erected in the square in 1715; it has an octagonal basis and portrays two tritons supporting a shell from which the water springs.

FUN FACTS

#1 The piazza takes its name from the Bocca della Verità, which literally means “Mouth of Truth” in Italian.

#2 The Bocca della Verità is supposed to snap shut on the hands of liars -- a useful way of testing the faithfulness of spouses.

#3 The Arch of Janus (not pictured) is the only surviving ancient quadrifrons triumphal arch in Rome.

#4 The Temple of Hercules Victor (pictured below to the left) is the earliest surviving marble building in Rome.

How to Get Here Walking from Porta Portese: Head southeast on Via di Porta Portese toward Largo Ascianghi. Continue onto Ponte Sublicio. Turn left onto Lungotevere Aventino. Slight right onto Via di Santa Maria in Cosmedin. Continue into piazza.

Circus Maximus reconstruction on Google Earth

Circus Maximus The Circus Maximus (Italian: Circo Massimo) is an ancient Roman chariot racing stadium and mass entertainment venue located in Rome, Italy. Situated in the valley between the Aventine and Palatine hills, it was the first and largest stadium in ancient Rome and its later Empire. It measured 2,037 ft in length and 387 ft in width, and could accommodate about 150,000 spectators. In its fully developed form, it became the model for circuses throughout the Roman Empire.

After the 6th century, the Circus fell into disuse and decay, and was quarried for building materials. By the 1500s the area was used as a market garden. In 1587,

two obelisks were removed from the central barrier by Pope Sixtus V, and one of these was re-sited at the Piazza del Popolo. Mid-19th century workings at the circus site uncovered the lower parts of a seating tier and outer portico. Since then, a series of excavations has exposed further sections of the seating, curved turn and central barrier but further exploration has been limited by the scale, depth and waterlogging of the site.

The Circus site now functions as a large park area, in the centre of the city. It is often used for concerts and meetings.

FUN FACTS

#1 The lower levels, ever prone to flooding, were gradually buried under waterlogged alluvial soil and accumulated debris, so that the original track is now buried 6m beneath the modern surface.

#2 Circus Maximus is Latin for “greatest/largest circus.”

#3 The Circus was Rome’s largest venue for ludi, public games for Roman religious festivals.

#4 With the advent of Christianity as the official religion, ludi fell out of favour. The last beast-hunt took place in 523, and the last races were held by Totila in 549.

How to Get Here Walking from Piazza Bocca della Verita: Walk south on the piazza.

Turn left onto Via della Greca.

Turn left onto Via dell’Ara Massima di Ercole.

Capitoline Hill

The Capitol, citadel of ancient Rome, was redesigned by Michelangelo in the 16th century. He was responsible for the trapezoid Piazza del Campidoglio as well as the Cordonata, the broad flight of steps leading up to it. The piazza is flanked by Palazzo Nuovo and Palazzo dei Conservatori, housing the Capitoline museums, with their fine collections of sculpture and paintings. It is also well worth walking behind the museums to the Tarpeian Rock, for a fine view of the forum lying below.

PIAZZA DEL CAMPIDOGLIO When Emperor Charles V announced he was to visit Rome in 1536, Pope Paul III Farnese asked

Michelangelo to give the Capitoline a facelift. He redesigned the piazza, renovated the facades of its palaces, and built a new flight of steps, the Cordonata. This gently rising ramp is now crowned with the massive statues of Castor and Pollux.

He accentuated the reversal of the classical orientation of the Capitoline, in a symbolic gesture turning Rome’s civic center to face away from the Roman Forum and instead in the direction of Papal Rome and the Christian church in the form of St. Peter’s Basilica. This full half circle turn can also be seen as Michelangelo’s desire to address the new, developing section of the city rather than the ancient ruins of the past.

FUN FACTS

#1 The English word capitol derives from “Capitoline.”

#2 The Palazzo Senatorio, now housing the Roman city hall, stands on the ruins of the Tabularium, the archives of ancient Rome.

#3 Next to the older and much steeper stairs leading to the Aracoeli, The Cordonata was built to be wide enough for horse riders to ascend the hill without dismounting.

How to Get Here Walking from Circus Maximus: Head northeast on Via dell’Ara Massima di Ercole. Turn left onto Via dei Cerchi. Continue straight onto Piazza della Bocca della Verita. Continue onto Via Luigi Petroselli. Continue onto Via del Teatro di Marcello. Turn right onto Via delle Tre Pile. Follow it to make a sharp left then right when it becomes the piazza.

Capitoline Hill (cont.)

PIAZZA VENEZIA Piazza Venezia is a major circus and the central hub of Rome, Italy, in which many thoroughfares intersect, like Via dei Fori Imperiali and Via del Corso. It takes its name from Venice (“Venezia” in Italian), after the Venetian Cardinal, Pietro Barbo (later Pope Paul II) who had built Palazzo Venezia, a palace set next to the nearby church of Saint Mark, the patron saint of Venice.

Palazzo Venezia was the former embassy of the city of the Republic of Venice to Rome.

The piazza or square is at the foot of the Capitoline Hill and next to Trajan’s Forum. The main artery, the Viale di Fori Imperiali

starts there, leading past the Roman Forum and to the Colosseum. It is dominated by the imposing Altare della Patria (“Altar of the Fatherland”). Also known as Il Vittoriano, the monument (from which the above image was taken) was begun in 1885 and inaugurated in 1911 in honor of Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of unified Italy.

The base of the structure houses the museum of Italian Unification. In 2007, a panoramic elevator was added to the structure, allowing visitors to ride up to the roof for 360 degree views of Rome. The Vittoriano together at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Paris is the whitest of Europe.

FUN FACTS

#4 The monument holds the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with an eternal flame, built under the statue of Italy.

#5 The monument was controversial since its construction destroyed a large area of the Capitoline Hill with a Medieval neighbourhood for its sake. The monument itself is often regarded as pompous and too large.

#6 The Palazzo dei Conservatori was the seat of the magistrates during the late Middle Ages.

#7 The Tarpeian Rock is a cliff from which traitors were believed to have been thrown to their death in ancient Rome.

Piazza del Quirinale The current site of the palace has been in use since Roman times, as excavations in the gardens testify.

On this hill, the Romans built temples to several deities, from the Flora to Quirinus, after whom the hill was named. During the reign of Constantine the last complex of Roman baths was built here, as the statues of the twins Castor and Pollux taming the horses decorating the fountain in the square testify. The Quirinal, being the highest hill in Rome, was very sought after and became a popular spot for the Roman patricians, who built their luxurious villas.

The Quirinal Palace (known in Italian as the Palazzo del Quirinale or simply Quirinale) is a historic building in Rome, Italy, the current

FUN FACTS

official residence of the President of #1 the Italian Republic. It has housed It extends for an area of 110,500 square metres and is the 6th largthirty popes, four kings and eleven est palace in the world in terms of area, as well as the largest presidents of the Italian Republic. residence of a Head of State.

The palace was built in 1583 by #2 Pope Gregory XIII as a papal sumThe obelisk and fountain are mer residence. It served as a papal known as the Dioscuri Fountain feature 18ft-tall sculptures of residence and housed the central of- and Castor and Pollux as horse tamThe statues once stood at the fices responsible for the civil govern- ers. baths of Constantine. The 46ft-tall central obelisk once sat at the ment of the Papal States until 1870. mausoleum of Augustus.

In September 1870, what was left of the Papal States was overthrown. In How to Get Here from Capitoline Hill: Head 1871, Rome became the capital of the Walking northeast on Via di San Pietro in Carcere. Turn right to stay new Kingdom of Italy. The palace on it. Turn left onto Via dei Fori Imperiali. Turn right toward Pibecame the official royal residence azza Foro Traiano. Turn left onto of the Kings of Italy. The monarchy Piazza Foro Traiano. Turn right onto Via Magnanapoli (take the was abolished in 1946 and the Palstairs). Turn right onto Via delle Tre Cannelle. Continue onto Via ace became the official residence della Cordonata (take the stairs).

Turn left on to Via XXIV Maggio. and workplace for the Presidents of Continue straight onto Piazza del the Italian Republic.

Quirinale.

Piazza della Repubblica The porticos around the piazza, built in 1887–98 by Gaetano Koch, were in memory of the ancient buildings on the same sites, while the basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri on the piazza is based on a wing of the baths (its architect Michelangelo used the tepidarium as one of the wings of its spacious Greek cross plan).

The fountain in this square was originally the fountain of the Acqua Pia (connected to the aqua Marcia aqueduct), commissioned this site by Pope Pius IX in 1870.

Completed in 1888, it originally showed four chalk lions designed

by Alessandro Guerrieri. These were then replaced in 1901 with

sculptures of Naiads by Mario Rutelli from Palermo, the greatgrandfather of the politician and former mayor of the town, Francesco Rutelli.

The naiads represented are the Nymph of the Lakes (recognisable by the swan she holds), the Nymph of the Rivers (stretched out on a monster of the rivers), the Nymph of the Oceans (riding a horse symbolising of the sea), and the Nymph of the Underground Waters (leaning over a mysterious dragon). In the centre is Rutelli’s Glauco group (1911/12), symbolizing the dominion of the man over natural force and replacing a previous sculpture.

FUN FACT

The former name of the piazza, Piazza dell’Esedra, still very common today, originates in the large exedra of the baths of Diocletian, which gives the piazza its shape.

How to Get Here Walking from Piazza del Quirinale: Head southeast on Piazza del Quirinale an continue onto Via del Quirinale. Turn right onto Via delle Quattro Fontane. Turn left onto Via Nazionale. Continue onto Piazza della Repubblica.

dining €€ - Pizza, Brewery Bir & Fud Via Benedetta 23 7:30 pm - 12:00 am Price range €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor €€ - Brewery Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fa’ Via Benedetta 25 11:00 am - 2:00 am Price range: moderate Accepts credit Seating: indoor € - Bakery Biscottificio Innocenti Via della Luce 21 8:00 am - 8:00 pm Price range: inexpensive Seating: none

€ - Sandwiches, Salad, Juice Mangia Mò Via Benedetta 3 12:00 pm - 2:00 am Price range: under €7 Seating: indoor € - DIY Sandwiches, Bar Donkey Punch/Buco del Mulo Via della Scala 33 12.00 pm - 04.00 am Price range: inexpensive Seating: indoor €€€ - Italian Asino Cotto Via dei Vascellari 48 11:30 am - 12:00 am (?)

Reservation suggested Price range: pricey Accepts credit (?)

Seating: indoor

€€ - Market, Deli, Bakery Mercato di Campagna Amici Via San Teodoro 74 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Price range: moderate Cash only (?)

Seating: none € - Italian, Gelato Al Ristoro della Salute Piazza del Colosseo 2A 11:30 am - 10:00 pm (?)

Price range €8-20 (?)

Seating: indoor/outdoor €€ - Italian, Cafe, Brunch Papageno Caffè Viale Aventino 123 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm (?)

Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor

Day Three

Ponte Sisto Campo de’ Fiori Piazza Navona San Luigi dei Francesi Pantheon Santa Maria sopra Minerva

Ponte Sisto

Ponte Sisto is a footbridge in Rome’s historic centre, spanning the river Tiber. It connects Via del Pettinari in the Rione of Regola to Piazza Trilussa in Trastevere. The construction of the current bridge was ordered

by Pope Sixtus IV (for whom it is named) using the architect Baccio Pontelli between 1473 and 1479 to replace what remained of a prior Roman bridge named Pons Aurelius.

The bridge is architecturally characteristic because of its central circular ‘Oculus’ or eye. It connects the popular night-life areas near Campo de’ Fiori and Trastevere and has become part of popular culture and featured in films, music videos, and adverts.

The Ponte Sisto connects the

FUN FACT lively and Popular Piazza Trilussa The predecessor bridge to Ponte in Trastevere, where many young Sisto, the Pons Aurelius was first by authors in the 4th Romans gather for an aperitivo on a mentioned and 5th centuries and was later known in the Middle Ages as “Pons Friday night, with the via Pettinary Antoninus”, “Pons Antonini in Arenula”, and “Pons Ianicularis id and via Giulia in Campo Marte. est pons ruptus vulgariter nomi The former Acqua Paola natus et Tremelus et Antoninus”. fountain now in Piazza Trilussa.

How to Get Here On the corner of via Pettinari and Transport from hotel: From Balduina train station, take FL3 via Giulia once stood a fountain, a toward Ostiense for 5 stops. Get work of the Acqua Paola Aqueduct, off at Trastevere and switch to Gianicolense-Stazione Trastevere the water of which was brought bus stop. Take H bus toward Terfor 4 stops. Get off at Gioacover the bridge from the Transtiber- mini chino Belli and head northeast on Piazza Belli Guiseppe Gioachino. im to the Campo Marte via Ponte Turn left onto Lungotevere Raffaello Sanzio.

Sisto.

After the Unification of Italy in 1870, the buildings surrounding this fountain were destroyed, and the fountain itself relocated to Piazza Trilussa on the other side of the bridge, where it delivers water to this day.

Campo de’ Fiori Compo de’ Fiori was one of the liveliest and roughest areas of medieval and Renaissance Rome.

Cardinals and nobles mingled with fishmongers and foreigners in the piazza’s market; Caravaggio killed his opponent after losing a game of tennis on the square; and the goldsmith Cellini murdered a business rival nearby. Today, the area continues to be a hub of secular activity. The colorful market, trattorias, and down-to-earth bars retain the original animated atmosphere.

In the Renaissance the piazza was surrounded by inns, many of which were owned by the 15thcentury courtesan Vanozza Catanei, mistress of Pope Alexander VI.

The square has always remained a focus for commercial and street culture. With new access streets installed by Sixtus IV— Via Florea and Via Pellegrino— the square became a part of the Via papale, the street linking Basilica of St. John Lateran and the Vatican.

This brought wealth to the area: A flourishing horse market took place twice a week and a lot of inns, hotels and shops came to be situated in Campo de’ Fiori.

Executions used to be held publicly in Campo de’ Fiori. Here, on 17 February 1600, the philosopher Giordano Bruno was burnt alive for heresy when he suggested the earth moved around the sun.

FUN FACTS

#1 Campo de’ Fiori, translated literally from Italian, means “field of flowers”. The name was first given during the Middle Ages when the area was actually a meadow.

#2 The surrounding streets are named for trades—Via dei Balestrari (crossbow-makers), Via dei Baullari (coffer-makers), Via dei Cappellari (hat-makers), Via dei Chiavari (key-makers) and Via dei Giubbonari (tailors)

#3 The body of theologian and scientist Marco Antonio de Dominis was burned in this square, in 1624.

How to Get Here Walking from Ponte Sisto: Continue onto Via dei Pettinari. Turn left onto Via Capo di Ferro. Turn right onto Vicolo delle Grotte. Turn left onto Via dei Giubbonari. Continue onto Piazza Campo de’ Fiori.

Piazza Navona The area around Piazza Navona, known as the centro storico, has been inhabited for at least 2,000 years. No other piazza in Rome can rival the theatricality of Piazza Navona. It follows the shape of a 1st-century AD stadium built

by Domitian, which was used for athletic contests (“agones”), chariot races and other sports. Traces of the stadium are still visible below the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone, which is dedicated to a virgin martyred on the site fo refusing to marry a pagan.

The piazza began to take on its present appearance in the 17th century, when Pope Innocent X, who family palazzo was on the piazza, commissioned a

new church, palace and fountain.

The fountain, the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (pictured below in the distance), is Bernini’s most magnificent, with statues of the four great rivers of the world at that time (the Nile, the Plate, the Ganges and the Danube) sitting on the rocks below an obelisk.

Bernini also designed the musclebound Moor in the Fontana del Moro (pictured below in the foreground), though the present statue is a copy.

The luxurious cafes are the social center of the city, and day and night there is always something going on in the pedestrian area around the three flamboyant Baroque fountains.

FUN FACTS

#1 Until the 19th century, the piazza was flooded in August by stopping the fountain outlets. The rich would splash around in carriages, while street urchins paddled.

#2 Since the ancient Romans came there to watch the agones (“games”), it was known as “Circus Agonalis” (“competition arena”).

It is believed that over time the name changed to “in avone” to “navone” and eventually to “navona.”

How to Get Here Walking from Campo de’ Fiori: Head northwest on piazza. Continue onto Via dei Baullari. Turn left onto Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. Turn right onto Piazza di San Pantaleo. Continue onto Via della Cuccagna. Turn left onto Piazza Navona.

San Luigi dei Francesi The French national church in Rome, San Luigi is a 16th-century building. A bull of Holy Roman Emperor Otto III in 998 confirmed the property of three churches: Santa Maria, San Benedetto and the oratorio of San Salvatore.

When it became property of the Medici family in 1480, the church of Santa Maria became the church of San Luigi dei Francesi. Cardinal Giulio di Giuliano de’ Medici commissioned Jean de Chenevière to build a church for the French community in 1518. Building was halted when Rome was sacked in 1527, the church was finally completed in 1589 by Domenico Fontana. The interior was restored by Antoine

Dérizet between 1749 and 1756.

The foundation Pieux Etablissements de la France à Rome et à Lorette is responsible for the five French churches in Rome and apartment buildings in Rome and in Loreto. The foundation is governed by an “administrative deputy” named by the French ambassador to the Holy See.

The church is best known for three magnificent canvases by Caravaggio in the Cerasi chapel.

Painted between 1597 and 1602, these were Caravaggio’s first significant religious works: ‘The Calling of St. Matthew,’ ‘Martyrdom of St. Matthew,’ and ‘St. Matthew and the Angel.’

FUN FACTS

#1 The first version of ‘St. Matthew and the Angel’ was initially rejected because it depicted the saint as an old man with dirty feet.

#2 Martin Luther stayed here when he came to Rome for his trial.

Hours Every day 10am-12:30pm, 3pm-7pm (Thur. closed after noon)

How to Get Here Walking from Piazza Navona: Head north on Piazza Navona toward Via di Sant’Agnese in Agone.

Turn left onto Via Agonale. Turn right onto Piazza delle Cinque Lune. Turn left onto Via di Santa Giovanna D’Arco. Continue onto Largo Guiseppe Toniolo.

Pantheon

The Pantheon, a temple to “all the gods,” is Rome’s most extraordinary and best preserved ancient building. The first temple on the site was a conventional rectangular affair errected by Agrippa between 27 and 25 BC; the present struct was built and possibly designed

by Emperor Hadrian in AD 118.

The temple is fronted by a massive pedimented portico screening what appears to be a cylinder fused to a shallow dome. Only from the side can the true scale and beauty of this building be appreciated: a vast hemispherical dome equal in radius to the height of the cylinder giving perfectly

harmonious proportions to the building. A circular opening, the ‘oculus,’ lets in the only light.

In the 7th century, Christians claimed to be plagued by demons as they passed by, and permission was given to make the Pantheon a church. Hence, since the 7th century, the Pantheon has been used as a Roman Catholic church dedicated to “St. Mary and the Martyrs” but informally known as “Santa Maria Rotonda.” Today it is lined with tombs, ranging from a restrained monument to Raphael to huge marble and porphyry sarcophagi holding the bodies of Italian monarchs.

FUN FACTS

#1 Cassius Dio, a Roman senator, speculated that the name ‘Pantheon’ came either from the statues of many gods placed around the building or from the dome’s resemblance to the heavens.

#2 Since the French Revolution, when the church of Sainte-Geneviève, was turned into the secular monument called the Panthéon of Paris, the generic term pantheon has sometimes been applied to other buildings in which illustrious dead are honoured or buried.

hours Mon.-Sat. 9am-7:30pm Sun. 9am-6pm

How to Get Here Walking from San Luigi dei Francesi: Head east on Piazza di Sant’Eustachio toward Piazza dei Caprettari. Continue onto Via della Palombella. Turn left onto Via di Sant’Eustachio. Turn right onto Salita dei Crescenzi. Turn left onto Piazza della Rotonda.

Santa Maria sopra Minerva One of Rome’s rare Gothic buildings, this church was built in the 13th century over what were thought to be the ruins of a Temple of Minerva. It was a stronghold of the Dominicans, who produced some of the Church’s most infamous inquisitors, and who tried the scientist Galileo in the adjoining monastery.

Inside, the church has a superb collection of art and sculpture, ranging from 13thcentury Cosmatesque tombs to a bust of Bernini. Highlights include Antoniazzo Romano’s ‘Anunciation’ featuring Cardinal Juan de Torquemada, uncle of the vicious

Spanish Inquisitor, and the Carafa Chapel’s frescoes by Filippino Lippi.

In the Aldobrandini Chapel are the tombs of the 16thcentury Medici popes, Leo X and his cousin Clement VII, and near the steps of the choir is a stocky ‘Risen Christ,’ begun by Michelangelo.

The church also contains the tombs of many famous Italians, such as St. Catherine of Siena, who died in 1380, and Fra Angelico, the Dominican friar and painter, who died in 1455.

Outside, Bernini’s spectacular sculpture of an elephant holds an obelisk on its back.

FUN FACTS

#1 The obelisk outside is the shortest of the eleven Egyptian obelisks in Rome and is said to have been one of two obelisks moved from Sais, where they were built during the 589 BC-570 BC reign of the pharaoh Apries, from the Twentysixth dynasty of Egypt.

#2 St. Catherine of Siena may be buried here but her head isn’t. It actually buried in the Basilica of San Domenico in Siena. The story goes that the people of Siena stole it to have it in Siena.

hours Mon.-Sat. 8am-7pm Sun. 8am-1pm, 4-7pm

How to Get Here Walking from the Pantheon: Head east on Piazza della Rotonda toward Via della Minerva. Turn right onto Via della Minerva. Continue onto Piazza della Minerva.

dining €€ - Italian Da Francesco Piazza del Fico 29 12:30 pm - 12:00 am Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: outdoor € - Bakery, Pizza Forno Campo De’ Fiori Piazza Campo De’ Fiori 22 8:00 am - 8:00 pm Price range: inexpensive Accepts credit Seating: none €€ - Brewery, Burgers Open Baladin Via degli Specchi 6 12:00 pm - 2:00 am Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor €€ - Italian, Wine bar Cul de Sac Piazza Pasquino 73 12:30 pm - 1:00 am Price range: €5-10 Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor

€€€ - Italian, Wine bar, Gourmet deli Roscioli Via dei Giubbonari 21 12:30 pm - 04:00 pm 07:00 pm - 12:00 am Reservation suggested Price range: €21-40 Accepts credit Seating: indoor €€ - Market Mercato Campo de’ Fiori Piazza Campo de’ Fiori 6:00 am - 2:00 pm Price range: moderate Cash only €€€ - Italian, Wine bar Cavour 313 Via Cavour 313 12:30 pm - 5:00 pm 7:30 pm - 12:30 am Price range: pricey Accepts credit Seating: indoor €€ - Italian Dar Filettaro Largo dei Librari 88 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm Price range: €8-20

Seating: outdoor/indoor € - Italian Pastificio Via della Croce 8 10:00 am - 7:00 pm Price range: under €7 Cash only Seating: none €€ - Juice bar Frullati Pascucci Via di Torre Argentina 20 6:00 am - 12:00 am Price range: moderate Accepts credit Seating: none €€ - Italian, Wine bar Antica Enoteca Via della Croce 76 B 11:30 am - 1:00 am Price range: moderate Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor €€€ - Chocolatier La Bottega del Cioccolato Via Leonina, 82 9:00 am - 7:30 pm Price range: pricey Seating: none

Day four

Piazza del Popolo Villa Borghese Piazza Barberini Piazza di Porta Maggiore

Piazza del Popolo Piazza del Popolo is a large urban square in Rome. The name in modern Italian literally means “People’s Square”, but historically it derives from the poplars after which the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, in the northeast corner of the piazza, takes its name.

The layout of the piazza today was designed in neoclassical style (1811-1822) by the architect Giuseppe Valadier, He removed a modest fountain by Giacomo Della Porta, erected in 1572, and demolished some insignificant buildings and haphazard high screening walls to form two semicircles, reminiscent of Bernini’s plan for St. Peter’s Square, replacing the origi-

nal cramped trapezoidal square centred on the Via Flaminia.

Looking from the north, three streets branch out from the piazza into the city, forming the socalled “trident” : the Via del Corso in the centre; the Via del Babuino to the left, and the Via di Ripetta to the right. The twin churches of Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Montesanto define the junctions of the roads. Close scrutiny of the twin churches reveals that they are not mere copies of one another, as they would have been in a Neoclassical project, but vary in their details, offering variety within their symmetrical balance in Baroque fashion.

FUN FACTS

#1 The obelisk was brought to Rome in 10 BC by order of Augustus and originally set up in the Circus Maximus.

#2 Before the age of railroads, the piazza was the traveller’s first view of Rome upon arrival.

#3 For centuries, the Piazza del Popolo was a place for public executions, the last of which took place in 1826.

How to Get Here Transport from Hotel: From Balduina train station, take FL3 toward Ostiense for 2 stops. Get off at Valle Aurelia and walk to Emo-Di Bartolo bus stop. Take 490 bus toward Stazione Tiburtina for 10 stops. Get off at Flaminio stop and walk Head west on Piazzale Flaminio. Turn right onto Via Luisa di Savoia. Turn left onto Via Principessa Clotilde. Turn left onto Via Ferdinando di Savoia.

Turn right onto Piazza del Popolo.

Villa Borghese The villa and its park were designed in 1605 for Cardinal Scipione Borghese, the sybaritic nephew of Pope Paul V. An extravagant patron of the arts, he amassed one of Europe’s finest collections of paintings, statues and antiquities, many of which are still displayed in the villa that he built especially to house his antique sculptures.

The park was one of the first of its kind in Rome, its formal gardens divided by avenues and graced with statues. It contained 400 newly planted trees, garden sculpture by Bernini’s father, Pietro, along with many ingenious fountains, “secret” flower gardens, enclosures of exotic animals and

birds, and even a grotto with artificial rain. There was also a speaking robot and a trick chair, which trapped anyone who sat in it.

In 1773 work began on redesigning the park in the wilder, Romantic style made fashionable by landscape artists like Claude Lorrain and Poussin. Over the next few years, mock-Classical temples, fountains and summerhouses were added. In 1901, the park and villa were acquired by the state, and in 1911 the area was chosen as the site for the International Exhibition. Pavilions were built by many of the world’s nations, the most impressive of which is the British School at

Rome by Edwin Lutyens. In the northeastern corner of the park lie the Museo Zoologico and a small redeveloped zoo, known as the Bioparco, where the emphasis is on conservation. Today the estates of the Villa Borghese INFORMATION

Hours Museum: Mon. closed. Tue.-Sat. 8:30am7:30pm (2 hour slot) Park: Daily dawn-sunset

Admission € 11,00 (+ € 2,00 service charge) Can be purchased online

tours In English (9:10am-11:10am) € 5,00 + entrance ticket

How to Get Here Walking from Piazza del Popolo: Turn left onto Via Luisa di Savoia. Turn right onto Piazzale Flaminio. Turn right onto Via Luisa di Savoia. Continue onto Viale del Muro Torto.

Piazza Barberini Piazza Barberini is a large piazza in the centro storico or city center of Rome, Italy and situated on the Quirinal Hill. It was created in the 16th century but many of the surrounding buildings have subsequently been rebuilt.

The current name was given in 1625 when it was named after the Palazzo Barberini, the Baroque palace built in an elevated position on the south side of the piazza. There was a large entrance gateway to the palace designed by the Baroque painter/architect Pietro da Cortona on the corner of the piazza but this was demolished in the nineteenth century.

At the centre of the piazza is the Fontana del Tritone or Triton Fountain (1642–3) sculpted by Bernini. At its centre rises a larger than lifesize muscular Triton, a minor sea god of ancient Greco-Roman legend, depicted as a merman kneeling on the sum of four dolphin tailfins. His head is thrown back and his arms raise a conch to his lips; from it a jet of water spurts, formerly rising dramatically higher than it does today.

The fountain has a base of four dolphins that entwine the papal tiara with crossed keys and the heraldic Barberini bees in their scaly tails.

FUN FACTS

#1 The fountain was executed in travertine, a type of limestone.

#2 The fountain was Bernini’s last major commission from his great patron Pope Urban VIII who died in 1644.

#3 The legend applied to Trevi Fountain has been extended to this: that any visitor who throws a coin into the water (while facing away from the fountain) will have guaranteed their return to Rome.

How to Get Here Walking from Villa Borghese: Head southeast on Viale dell’Uccelliera.

Turn right onto Via Pinciana. Slight left onto Via Giacomo Puccini. Slight right onto Corso D’Italia. Continue onto Via Piemonte. Turn right onto Via Sallustiana. Turn right onto Via Leonida Bissolati. Turn left onto Via di San Basilio. Turn left onto Via Vittorio Veneto. Turn right onto Piazza Barberini.

Piazza di Porta Maggiore The Porta Maggiore is by far the best urban site to visit for an understanding and view of the ancient aqueducts. It is a monumental double archway built of white travertine. It was first known as the Porta Prenestina.

The “gate,� built in 52 AD by emperor Claudius, was intended to provide a decorative section of support for two aqueducts, the Aqua Claudia and the Anio Novus. At that time these aqueducts crossed the ancient Via Labicana and Praenestina roads thereby providing the opportunity to create at this location a sort of triumphal arch to the conquest of nature and its conqueror, the emperor Claudius.

The gate was incorporated in the Aurelian Wall in 271 by the emperor Aurelian thus truly turning it into an entrance to the city.

It was modified further when the emperor Honorius augmented the walls in 405. The foundations of a guardhouse added by Honorius are still visible, while the upper part of the gate, as built by Honorius, has been moved to the left side of the Porta.

It is currently known as the Porta Maggiore, possibly designated as such because of the road that runs through the gate leads to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. The church is an important place of prayer dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

FUN FACTS

#1 The two channels of the Aqua Claudia and Aqua Anio Novus, one lying on top of the other, can be seen when viewing the crosssection running through the travertine attic at the top of the gate.

#2 Through the gate ran two ancient roads: the Via Praenestina and the Via Labicana. The Via Prenestina was the eastern road to the ancient town of Praeneste (modern Palestrina). The Via Labicana (now called the Via Casilina) heads southeast from the city.

How to Get Here Transport from Piazza Barberini: Take the Metro from the Barberini stop. Take MEA toward Anagnina for 4 stops. Get off at Manzoni.

Head south on Via Emanuele Filiberto toward Viale Manzoni. Turn left onto Via San Quintino. Slight left onto Via Statilia. Turn left onto Piazza di Porta Maggiore.

dining €€ - Italian, Desserts Marzapane Via Velletri 39 07:00 pm - 12:00 am (?)

Reservation recommended Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor

€€ - Deli Mondo Arancina Via Flaminia 42 8:00 am - 12:00 am Price range: moderate Accepts credit Seating: none €€ - Deli, Snack bar Baretto Via del Babuino

8:00 am - 1:00 pm Price range: moderate Seating: none € - Supermarket Carrefour Market Via Galoppatoio 8:00 am - 8:00 pm Price range: inexpensive Accepts credit

Day Five

Travel to Florence Uffizi Gallery Piazza della Signoria Florence Cathedral Return to Rome

Uffizi Gallery

The Uffizi, Italy’s greatest art gallery, was built in 1560-80 to house offices (“uffici”) for Duke Cosimo I. The architect Vasari used iron as reinforcement, enabling his successor, Buontalenti, to create an almost continuous wall of glass on the upper story.

This was used as a gallery for Francesco I to display Medici art treasures. In the 19th century the collection’s ancient objects were moved to the archaeological museum and sculpture to the Bargello, leaving a priceless collection of paintings. Building work to double the gallery’s exhibition space should end late in 2013.

The Uffizi offers not only the chance to see the world’s

greatest collection of Italian Renaissance paintings, but also the opportunity to enjoy masterpieces from as far afield as Holland, Spain and Germany. Accumulated over the centuries by the Medici, the collection was first housed in the Uffizi in 1581, and eventually bequeathed to the Florentine people by Anna Maria Lodovica, the last of the Medici.

Some famous paintings located here: Botticelli’s ‘The Birth of Venus,’ Titian’s ‘The Venus of Urbino,’ Simone Martini’s ‘Anunciation,’ Parmigiano’s ‘Madonna of the Long Neck,’ Raphael’s ‘Madonna of the Goldfinch,’ and Piero della Francesca’s portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino.

INFORMATION

Corridor ceilings are frescoed with 1582 “grotesques” inspired by Roman grottoes.

Hours Mon. closed. Tue.-Sun. 8:15am6:50pm

Admission € 6,50 Can be booked online in advance € 4,00 (Booking charge)

tours Audioguides in English available € 6,00 + entrance ticket € 10,00 + 2 entrance tickets

How to Get Here Walking from Train Station: Head southwest on Piazza degli Ottaviani. Continue onto Via della Spada. Continue onto Via degli Strozzi. Turn right onto Piazza della Repubblica. Turn right onto Via Calimala. Turn left onto Via Vacchereccia. Continue onto Piazzale degli Uffizi.

Piazza della Signoria Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio have been at the heart of Florence’s political and social life for centuries. The great bell was once used to summon citizens to parlamento (public meetings) here, and the square has long been a popular promenade for both visitors and Florentines. The piazza’s statues (some are copies) commemorate the city’s major historical events, though its most famous episode -the execution of the religious leader Girolamo Savonarola, who was burned at the stake -- is celebrated by a simple pavement plaque near the loggia.

The impressive 14th-century Palazzo Vecchio is still preemi-

nent with its crenellated tower.

The square is also shared with the Loggia della Signoria, the Uffizi Gallery, the Palace of the Tribunale della Mercanzia (1359) (now the Bureau of Agriculture), and the Palazzo Uguccioni (1550, with a facade attributed to Raphael, who however died thirty years before its construction). Located in front of the Palazzo Vecchio is the Palace of the Assicurazioni Generali (1871, built in Renaissance style).

Some famous statues are located here: Michelangelo’s ‘David,’ Donatello’s ‘Judith and Holofernes,’ Giambologna’s ‘The Rape of the Sabine Women’ and the Medici Lions

by Fancelli and Vacca.

FUN FACTS

#1 In 1497 Girolamo Savonarola and his followers carried out on this square the famous Bonfire of the Vanities, burning in a large pile books, gaming tables, fine dresses, and works of poets.

#2 The Palazzo Vecchio (“Old Palace”) is the town hall of the city. Overlooking the square with its copy of Michelangelo’s David statue as well the gallery of statues in the adjacent Loggia dei Lanzi, it is one of the most significant public places in Italy, and it host cultural points and museums.

#3 On the ground floor of Palazzo delle Assicuriazioni Generali is the historical cafè Rivoire.

How to Get Here Walking from Uffizi Gallery: Head north on Via Vacchereccia toward Via della Ninna. Continue onto Piazza della Signoria.

Florence Cathedral Rising above the heart of the city, the richly decorated Duomo, or Santa Maria del Fiore, and its orange-tiled dome have become Florence’s most famous symbols.

The cathedral is Europe’s fourth largest church, and to this day it still remains the city’s tallest building. Il Duomo di Firenze was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to the design of Arnolfo di Cambio and completed structurally in 1436 with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi. The exterior of the basilica is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink bordered by white and has an elaborate 19th-century Gothic Revival façade by Emilio De Fabris.

The Baptistry, with its celebrated bronze doors, may date back to the 4th century, making it one of Florence’s oldest buildings.

The Baptistry is renowned for its three sets of bronze doors with relief sculptures. The south doors were by Andrea Pisano and the north and east doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti. Michelangelo called the east doors the “Gates of Paradise”.

The Campanile, designed

by Giotto in 1334, was completed in 1359, 22 years after his death.

The tower is one of the showpieces of the Florentine Gothic architecture with its design by Giotto, its rich sculptural decorations and the polychrome marble encrustations.

FUN FACTS

#1 Through the Campanile, Giotto has become one of the founding fathers of Italian Renaissance architecture.

#2 Brunelleschi’s dome, finished in 1463, was the largest of its time to be built without scaffolding.

The outter shell is supported by a thicker inner shell that acts as a platform for it.

#3 Still an apprentice to Andrea del Verrocchio, Leonardo da Vinci might have participated in the design of the bronze ball, as stated in the G manuscript of Paris “Remember the way we soldered the ball of Santa Maria del Fiore”.

How to Get Here Walking from Piazza della Signoria: Head east on the piazza. Continue onto Via dei Magazzini. Turn right onto Via Dante Alighieri.

Turn left onto Via del Proconsolo.

dining € - Sandwiches All’Antico Vinaio Via dei Neri 65R 8:00 am - 9:00 pm Price range: under €7 Cash only Seating: none € - Sandwiches I 2 Fratellini Via dei Cimatori 38R 9:00 am - 8:00 pm Price range: under €7 Cash only Seating: none € - Gelato, Crepery Gelateria dei Neri Via dei Neri 26R 9:00 am - 12:00 am Price range: under €7 Accepts credit Seating: none €€ - Brewery, Pizza Mostodolce

Via Nazionale 114 11:00 am - 2:00 am Price range: moderate Accepts credit Seating: indoor €€ - Brunch, juice bar Lovelife Via dell’Oriuolo 26R 10:00 am - 7:00 pm Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: none € - Bakery, Pizza Pugi Piazza San Marco 9B 8:30 am - 2:30 pm 4:30 pm - 7:30 pm Price range: moderate Accepts credit Seating: none

€€ - Tuscan, Deli Antica Macelleria Falorni Via Palmieri 35 10:30 am - 9:00 pm Price range €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor € - Hot dogs, Bakery Temple Hot-Dog Via palazzuolo 104R 4:00 pm - 12:00 am Price range: under €7 Seating: indoor € - Bakery, Sandwiches Forno de’ Ghiotti Via Sant’Egidio 49R 9:30 am - 7:30 pm Price range: under €7 Accepts credit Seating: none

Day six

Dad Arrives in Rome Colosseum Arch of Constantine Palatine Hill Arch of Titus Roman Forum Arch of Septimius Severus

Colosseum

The Colosseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheater is an elliptical amphitheater in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy. Built of concrete and stone, it was the largest amphitheater of the Roman Empire and is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering.

The Colosseum is situated just east of the Roman Forum. Construction began under the emperor Vespasian in 70 AD, and was completed in 80 AD under his successor and heir Titus. Further modifications were made during the reign of Domitian (81–96). These three emperors are known as the Flavian dynasty, and the amphitheater was

named in Latin for its association with their family name (Flavius).

The Colosseum could hold, it is estimated, 50,000-80,000 spectators, and was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era.

Although in the 21st century it stays partially ruined because of damage caused by devastating earthquakes and stone-robbers, the Colosseum is an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome. It is one of Rome’s most popular tourist attractions.

INFORMATION

hours Open daily 8:30 am-7:15 (last admission at 6:15)

Tickets Full price: €12 Ticket offices at the Palatine Hill located in Via San Gregorio No. 30 and Piazza Santa Maria Nova No. 53 and allow entrance to the Palatine Hill and to the Roman Forum as well.

How to Get Here Transport from Fiumicino: Take FL1 train toward Fara SabinaMontelibretti for 8 stops. Get off at Ostiense and walk to the Stazione Ostiense bus stop. Take the 271 bus toward Volpi for 7 stops. Get off at Colosseo stop.

Transport from hotel: Take FL3 train toward Ostiense for 6 stops.

Get off at Ostiense and walk to the Stazione Ostiense bus stop.

Take the 271 bus toward Volpi for 7 stops. Get off at Colosseo stop.

Arch of Constantine The Arch of Constantine is a triumphal arch in Rome, situated between the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill. It was erected to commemorate Constantine I’s victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge on October 28, 312. Dedicated in 315, it is one of Imperial Rome’s last monuments, built a few years before Constantine moved the capital of the empire to Byzantium. It is also the only one to make extensive use of spolia, re-using several major reliefs from 2nd century imperial monuments, which give a striking contrast to the sculpture newly created for the arch.

Constantine attributed the victory to the dream in which he

was told to mark his men’s shields with “chi-rho,” the first to Greek letters of Christ’s name. Christian tradition prefers a version in which the emperor has a vision of the Cross, mid-battle.

The arch spans the Via Triumphalis, the way taken by the emperors when they entered the city in triumph. This route started at the Campus Martius, led through the Circus Maximus and around the Palatine Hill; immediately after the Arch of Constantine, the procession would turn left at the Meta Sudans and march along the Via Sacra to the Forum Romanum and on to the Capitoline Hill, passing both the Arches of Titus and Septimius Severus.

FUN FACTS

#1 Despite the legend, there is nothing Christian about the arch: most of the reliefs were from earlier pagan monuments.

#2 The arch served as the finish line for the marathon athletic event for the 1960 Summer Olympics.

#3 One explanation given for the reuse of art (spolia) is the short time between the start of construction (late 312 at the earliest) and the dedication (summer 315), so the architects used existing artwork to make up for the lack of time to create new art.

#4 The words ‘instinctu divinitatis’ (“inspired by the divine”) on the inscription have been greatly commented on. They are usually read as sign of Constantine’s shifting religious affiliation.

Palatine Hill

The Palatine Hill is the centermost of the Seven Hills of Rome and is one of the most ancient parts of the city. It stands 40 metres above the Forum Romanum, looking down upon it on one side, and upon the Circus Maximus on the other.

The Palatine, once the residence of emperors and aristocrats, is the most pleasant of Rome’s ancient sites. The ruins range from the simple house in which Augustus is thought to have lived to the Domus Flavia and Domus Augustana, the public and private wings of a luxurious palace built by Domitian.

According to Roman mythology, the Palatine Hill was the location of the cave, known as the Lu-

percal, where Romulus and Remus were found by the she-wolf Lupa that kept them alive. According to this legend, the shepherd Faustulus found the infants, and with his wife Acca Larentia raised the children.

When they were older, the boys killed their great-uncle, and they both decided to build a new city of their own on the banks of the River Tiber. Suddenly, they had a violent argument with each other and in the end Romulus killed his twin brother Remus. This is how “Rome” got its name - from Romulus.

Key structures can be found here: Domus Augustana, the huts of Romulus, the Temple of Cybele and the courtyard of Domus Flavia.

FUN FACTS

#1 Palatine is the etymological origin of the word “palace” and its cognates in other languages.

#2 During Augustus’ reign, an area of the Palatine Hill was roped off for a sort of archaeological expedition, which found fragments of Bronze Age pots and tools. He declared this site the “original town of Rome.”

#3 The Hippodrome of Domitian is a structure which has the appearance of a Roman Circus and whose name means Circus in Greek, but is too small to accommodate chariots. It can be better described as a Greek Stadium, that is, a venue for foot races.

However, its exact purpose is disputed. While it is certain that during the Severan period it was used for sporting events, it was most likely originally built as a stadium-shaped garden.

Arch of Titus

The Arch of Titus is a 1st-century honorific arch located on the Via Sacra, Rome, just to the southeast of the Roman Forum. It was constructed in 82 AD by Emperor Domitian shortly after the death of his older brother Titus to commemorate Titus’ victories, including the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

The inscription in Roman square capitals reads: SENATVS POPVLVSQVE · ROMANVS DIVO · TITO · DIVI · VESPASIANI · F(ILIO) VESPASIANO · AVGVSTO (Senatus Populusque Romanus divo Tito divi Vespasiani filio Vespasiano Augusto) which means “The Roman Senate and People (dedicate this) to the divine

Titus Vespasianus Augustus, son of the divine Vespasian.”

The arch is large with both fluted and unfluted columns. The spandrels on the upper left and right of the arch contain personifications of victory as winged women.

Between the spandrels is the keystone, on which there stand female on the east and a male on the west.

The soffit of the axial archway is deeply coffered with a relief of the apotheosis of Titus at the center. The sculptural program also includes two panel reliefs lining the passageway within the arch. Both commemorate the joint triumph celebrated by Titus and his father Vespasian in the summer of 71.

FUN FACTS

#1 The Frangipani family turned the arch into a fortified tower in the Middle Ages.

#2 The Arch of Titus has provided the general model for many of the triumphal arches erected since the 16th century—perhaps most famously it is the inspiration for the 1806 Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, completed in 1836.

#3 The menorah depicted on the Arch served as the model for the menorah used on the emblem of the state of Israel.[citation needed] However, when the existence of modern State of Israel was formally declared, the entire Roman Jewish community spontaneously gathered by the arch and in joyful celebration, walked backwards under the arch to symbolize beginning of the long-awaited redemption from the Roman Exile.

Roman Forum In the early Republic, the Forum was a chaotic place, with food stalls and brothels as well as temples and the Senate House.

By the 2nd century BC it was decided that Rome required a more salubrious center, and the food stores were replaced by business centers and law courts.

It was for centuries the center of Roman public life: the site of triumphal processions and elections; the venue for public speeches, criminal trials, and gladiatorial matches; and the nucleus of commercial affairs.

For years, the Forum remained the ceremonial center of the city under the Empire, with emperors renovating old buildings

and erecting new temples and monuments. The teeming heart of ancient Rome, it has been called the most celebrated meeting place in the world, and in all history.

Unlike later imperial fora in Rome—which were modelled on the ancient Greek “plateia” or public plaza—the Roman Forum developed gradually, organically and piecemeal over centuries.

Many important structures can be found here: the Temple of Romulus, the Basilica of Constantine and Maxentius, the Temple of Venus and Rome, the House of the Vestal Virgins, Santa Francesca Romana, Basilica Julia the Rostra and the Temple of Castor and Pollux.

FUN FACTS

#1 Because of its location, sediments from both the flooding of the Tiber River and the erosion of the surrounding hills have been raising the level of the Forum floor for centuries.

Excavation shows that eroded sediment was raising the level in early Republican times.

#2 After the 8th century the structures of the Forum were dismantled to build feudal towers and castles. In the 13th century these structures were torn down and the site became a dumping ground. This, along with the debris from the dismantled buildings and ancient structures, contributed to the rising ground level.

#3 The reign of Constantine the Great saw the division of the Empire into its Eastern and Western halves, as well as the construction of the Basilica of Maxentius, the last significant expansion of the Forum complex. This restored much of the political focus to the Forum until the fall of the Western Roman Empire two centuries later.

Arch of Septimius Severus The white marble Arch of Septimius Severus (Italian: Arco di Settimio Severo) at the northwest end of the Roman Forum is a triumphal arch dedicated in AD 203 to commemorate the Parthian victories of Emperor Septimius Severus and his two sons, Caracalla and Geta, in the two campaigns against the Parthians of 194/195 and 197-199.

The arch was raised on a travertine base originally approached by steps from the Forum’s ancient level. The central archway, spanned by a richly coffered semicircular vault, has lateral openings to each side archway.

The three archways rest on piers, in front of which are detached composite columns on pedestals. Winged Victories are carved in relief in the spandrels.

A staircase in the south pier leads to the top of the monument, on which were statues of the emperor and his two sons in a four-horse chariot (quadriga), accompanied by soldiers.

During the Middle Ages repeated flooding of the low-lying Forum washed in so much additional sediment and debris that when Canaletto painted it in 1742, only the upper half of the Arch showed above ground.

FUN FACTS

#1 After the death of Septimius Severus, his sons Caracalla and Geta were initially joint emperors. Caracalla had Geta assassinated in 212; Geta’s memorials were destroyed and all images or mentions of him were removed from public buildings and monuments. Accordingly Geta’s image and inscriptions referring to him were removed from the arch.

#2 The Arch stands close to the foot of the Capitoline Hill. A flight of steps originally led to the central opening, as one still does to the Arch of Trajan at Ancona. By the 4th century erosion had raised the level of the Forum so much that a roadway was put through the Arch for the first time. So much debris and silt eroded from the surrounding hills that the arch was embedded to the base of the columns. The damage wrought by wheeled medieval and early modern traffic can still be seen on the column bases, above the basreliefs of the socles.

dining € - Bakery, Pizza Forno Campo De’ Fiori Piazza Campo De’ Fiori 22 8:00 am - 8:00 pm Price range: inexpensive Accepts credit Seating: none

Frullati Pascucci Via di Torre Argentina 20 6:00 am - 12:00 am Price range: moderate Accepts credit Seating: none

€€ - Italian, Wine bar € - Italian Antica Enoteca Pastificio Via della Croce 76 B Via della Croce 8 11:30 am - 1:00 am 10:00 am - 7:00 pm Price range: moderPrice range: under €7 ate Cash only Accepts credit Seating: none Seating: indoor/outdoor €€ - Italian Dar Filettaro €€ - Italian Largo dei Librari 88 Da Francesco 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm Piazza del Fico 29 Price range: €8-20 12:30 pm - 12:00 am Seating: outdoor/inPrice range: €8-20 door Accepts credit Seating: outdoor €€ - Market Mercato Campo de’ €€ - Brewery, BurgFiori ers Piazza Campo de’ Open Baladin Fiori Via degli Specchi 6 6:00 am - 2:00 pm 12:00 pm - 2:00 am Price range: moderPrice range: €8-20 ate Accepts credit Cash only Seating: indoor €€ - Juice bar

€€ - Italian, Wine

bar Cul de Sac Piazza Pasquino 73 12:30 pm - 1:00 am Price range: €5-10 Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor €€€ - Italian, Wine bar, Gourmet deli Roscioli Via dei Giubbonari 21 12:30 pm - 04:00 pm 07:00 pm - 12:00 am Reservation suggested Price range: €21-40 Accepts credit Seating: indoor €€€ - Italian, Wine bar Cavour 313 Via Cavour 313 12:30 pm - 5:00 pm 7:30 pm - 12:30 am Price range: pricey Accepts credit Seating: indoor €€€ - Chocolatier La Bottega del Cioccolato Via Leonina, 82 9:00 am - 7:30 pm Price range: pricey Seating: none

Day seven

Vatican Museums St. Peter’s Basilica St. Peter’s Square Janiculum

Vatican Museums Home to the Sistine Chapel and Raphael Rooms as well as to one of the world’s most important art collections, the Vatican Museums are housed in palaces originally built for Renaissance popes such as Julius II, Innocent VIII, and Sixtus IV. Most of the later additions were made in the 18th century, when priceless works of art accumulated by earlier popes were first put on show.

The Vatican’s greatest treasures are its superlative Greek and Roman antiquities, together with the magnificent artifacts excavated from Egyptian and Etruscan tombs during the 19th century. Some of Italy’s greatest artists, such as Raphael, Michelan-

gelo, and Leonardo da Vinci, are represented in the Pinacoteca (art gallery) and parts of the former palaces, where the artists were employed by popes to decorate sumptuous apartments and galleries.

Some famous works of art located here include the following: ‘Prima Porta Augustus,’ Polykleitos’ ‘Doryphoros,’ Caravaggio’s ‘Entombment of Christ,’ Michelangelo’s ‘Last Judgment,’ Raphael’s ‘The School of Athens and, of course, Michelangelo’s frescoed ceiling on the Sistine Chapel.

There are 54 galleries, or salas, in total, with the Sistine Chapel, notably, being the very last sala within the Museum.

INFORMATION

hours Mon-Sat 9am-6pm (last adm 4pm) last Sun 9am-2pm (last adm 12:30pm)

Tickets Full € 16,00 Reduced € 8,00 (students show ID)

important note Access to Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and Vatican Gardens is permitted only to visitors dressed appropriately (no sleeveless blouses, no miniskirts, no shorts, no hats allowed). Photography allowed but without flash.

No photography or filming in the Sistine Chapel.

How to get here Transport from hotel: Head east on Largo Damiano Chiesa. Turn right onto Via Ugo De Carolis. At the De Carolis-Damiano Chiesa bus stop, take the 990 bus toward Piazza Cavour for 14 stops. Get off at Leone Quarto. Head south on Leone IV toward Via Sebastiano Veniero. Turn right onto Viale Vaticano.

St. Peter’s Basilica & Square St. Peter was buried in AD 64 in a necropolis near the site of his crucifixion in the Circus of Nero.

In AD 324 Constantine constructed a basilica over the tomb. The old church was rebuilt in the 15th century, and throughout the 16th and 17th centuries various architects developed the existing structure. The new church was inaugurated in 1626 and became the St. Peter’s we all know today.

Catholicism’s most sacred shrine, the sumptuous, marblecaked basilica of St. Peter’s draws pilgrims and tourists from all over the world. It holds hundreds of precious works of art, some salvaged from the original 4th-cen-

tury basilica built by Constantine, other commissioned from Renaissance and Baroque artists. The dominant tone is set by Bernini, who created the baldacchio twisting up below Michelangelo’s huge dome. Bernine also created the Cathedra in the apse, with four saints supporting the throne that contains fragments once thought to be relics of the chair from which St. Peter delivered his first sermon.

Contrary to popular misconception, it is not a cathedral as it is not the seat of a bishop; the cathedra of the Pope (as Bishop of Rome) is located in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran.

INFORMATION

HOURS Basilica open daily 7am-7pm Treasury open daily 9am-6:15pm Grottoes open daily 7am-6pm Dome open daily 8am-6pm Papal audiences: Wed 10:30am & Sun 12pm

tickets Free entry to St. Peter’s Square and varying prices depending on what one wants to see.

Free admission but ticket required for papal audience.

important note Access to Saint Peter’s Basilica is permitted only to visitors dressed appropriately (no sleeveless blouses, no miniskirts, no shorts, no hats allowed). No photography allowed in the basilica.

Janiculum Hill

The Janiculum is a hill in western Rome, Italy. Although the secondtallest hill (the tallest being Monte Mario) in the contemporary city of Rome, the Janiculum does not figure among the proverbial Seven Hills of Rome, being west of the Tiber and outside the boundaries of the ancient city. The Janiculum was a center for the cult of the god Janus, and the fact that it overlooked the city made it a good place for augurs to observe the auspices.

The Janiculum is one of the best locations in Rome for a breathtaking view of the innumerable domes and bell towers that pierce the skyline of the multi-hued architectural museum. Other sights on the Janiculum include the church of San

FUN FACTS

Pietro in Montorio, built upon the #1 Roman mythology, Janiculum is site formerly thought to be where St In the name of an ancient town foundPeter was crucified; the small shrine ed by the god Janus (the two-faced god of beginnings). known as the Tempietto, designed

by Donato Bramante, marks the sup- #2 Janiculum is the site of a posed site of Peter’s death. The Janic- The battle in 1849 between the forces of defending the revolutionulum also houses a Baroque fountain Garibaldi, ary Roman Republic against French built by Pope Paul V in the late-17th forces, who were fighting to restore the Temporal power of the Pope over century, the Fontana dell’Acqua Rome. Because of this, several monuments to Garibaldi and to the fallen Paola, and several foreign research in the wars of Italian independence are on the Janiculum. institutions, including the American Academy in Rome and the Spanish #3 Daily at noon, a cannon fires once Academy in Rome. The Hill is also from the Janiculum in the direction the location of The American Univer- of the Tiber to signal the exact time. tradition goes back to Decemsity of Rome, Pontifical Urban Univer- This ber 1847, when the cannon of the Sant’Angelo gave the sign to sity, and Pontifical North American Castel the surrounding belltowers to start College, as well as the Orto Botanico ringing at midday. In 1904, the ritual was transferred to the Janiculum dell’Università di Roma “La Sapienza” and continued until 1939. On 21 April popular appeal convinced the and the Palazzo Montorio, residence 1959, Commune of Rome to resume the tradition after a twenty-year interof the Ambassadors of Spain. ruption.

dining € - Pizza, Italian Mondo Arancina Via Marcantonio Colonna 38 10:00 am - 12:00 am Price range: under €7 Accepts credit Seating: none €€ - Brunch, Dessert Fabrica Via Gerolamo Savonarola 8 8:30 am - 12:30 am Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: none

Accepts credit Seating: none €€€ - Italian Mamà Via Sforza Pallavicini 19 8:00 am - 12:00 am Price range: €15-30 Accepts credit Seating: none

€€€ - Italian Ristorante SorEva Piazza delle Rovere 108 10:00 am - 12:00 am Price range: €15-30 €€ - Juice Bar, Sand- Accepts credit wiches Seating: indoor Fa-Bìo Via Germanico 43 €€ - Cafe, Dessert 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Sciascia Caffè Price range: €8-20 Via Fabio Massimo

80A Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor €€ - American, Bagel deli Haus Garten Bagel Bar Piazza Monte Grappa 1 10:00 am - 2:00 am Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: outdoor €€ - Pizza Pizzeria Colonna Via marcantonio colonna 29 Price range: moderate Cash only Seating: none

Explore France A center for Western cultural development for centuries, France remains renowned for its rich cultural tradition.

The French are convinced that their way of life is best, and that their country is the most civilized on earth. Many millions of visitors agree with them. The food and wine are justly celebrated. French culture, literature, art, cinema, and architecture can be both profound and provocative. Whether cerebral, sensual, or sportive, France is a country where anyone might feel at home. The only European

country facing both the North Sea and the Mediterranean, France has been subject to a particularly rich variety of cultural influences.

Though famous for the rootedness of its peasant population, it has also been a European melting pot, even before the arrival of the Celtic Gauls in the centuries before Christ, through to the Mediterranean immigrations of the 20th century.

the Mediterranean coast.

The north and northwest have a temperate climate, while a combination of maritime influences, latitude and altitude produce a varied climate in the rest of Metropolitan France. Most of France in the south has a Mediterranean climate that prevails. In the west, the climate is predominantly oceanic with a high level of rainfall, mild winters and warm summers. Inland the climate becomes more continental with hot, stormy summers, colder winters and less rain. The climate of the Alps and other mountainous regions is mainly alpine, with the number of days with temperatures below freezing over 150 per year and snow cover lasting for up to six months.

Politics Geography From northeast to southwest, France shares borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Spain and Andorra.

France also borders Suriname to its west and Brazil to its east and south, by way of the overseas region of French Guiana, which is considered an integral part of the Republic.

Corsica and the French mainland form Metropolitan France; Guadeloupe, Martinique, RĂŠunion, and Mayotte form, with French Guiana, the overseas regions. These two integral groupings, along with several overseas collectivities and one territory, comprise the French Republic.

The European territory of France covers 211,209 sq mi, the largest among European Union members. France possesses a wide variety of landscapes, from coastal plains in the north and west to mountain ranges of the Alps in the south-east, the Massif Central in the south-central and Pyrenees in the southwest.

At 15,782 ft above sea level, the highest point in Western Europe, Mont Blanc, is situated in the Alps on the border between France and Italy. France also has extensive river systems such as the Seine, the Loire, the Garonne, and the Rhone, which divides the Massif Central from the Alps and flows into the Mediterranean Sea at the Camargue. Corsica lies off

France is divided into 27 administrative regions, 22 in metropolitan France (including the territorial collectivity of Corsica), and five located overseas. The regions are further subdivided into 101 departments, which are numbered mainly alphabetically. This number is used in postal codes and vehicle number plates amongst others.

The 101 departments are subdivided into 341 arrondissements which are, in turn, subdivided into 4,051 cantons. These cantons are then divided into 36,697 communes, which are municipalities with an elected municipal council. There are 2,588 intercommunal entities grouping 33,414 of the 36,697 communes (i.e. 91.1% of all the communes). Three communes, Paris, Lyon and Marseille are subdivided into 45 municipal arrondissements.

The regions, departments and communes are all known as territorial collectivities, meaning they possess local assemblies as well as an executive. Arrondissements and cantons are merely administrative divisions.

The French Republic is a unitary semipresidential republic with strong democratic traditions. The constitution of the Fifth Republic was approved by referendum on 28 September 1958. It greatly strengthened the authority of the executive in relation to parliament. The executive branch itself has two leaders: the President of the Republic, currently Francois Hollande, who is head of state and is elected directly by universal adult suffrage for a 5-year term (formerly 7 years), and the

Government, led by the president-appointed Prime Minister, currently Manuel Valls.

The French parliament is a bicameral legislature comprising a National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale) and a Senate. The National Assembly deputies represent local constituencies and are directly elected for 5-year terms. The Assembly has the power to dismiss the cabinet, and thus the majority in the Assembly determines the choice of government.

Senators are chosen by an electoral college for 6-year terms (originally 9-year terms), and one half of the seats are submitted to election every 3 years starting in September 2008.

The Senate’s legislative powers are limited; in ‘Liberty Leading the People’ the event of disagreement between the two

by Eugene Delacroix (Louvre) chambers, the National Assembly has the fipression “French culture” tends to refer implicnal say. itly to a specific geographical entity (as, say, “metropolitan France”, generally excluding its Culture overseas departments) or to a specific historiFrance has been a center of Western cultural co-sociological group defined by ethnicity, development for centuries. Many French artlanguage, religion and geography. The realiists have been among the most renowned of ties of “Frenchness” however, are extremely their time, and France is still recognized in the complicated. Even before the late 18th-19th world for its rich cultural tradition. century, “metropolitan France” was largely a

The successive political regimes have patchwork of local customs and regional difalways promoted artistic creation, and the ferences that the unifying aims of the Ancien creation of the Ministry of Culture in 1959 Régime and the French Revolution had only helped preserve the cultural heritage of the begun to work against, and today’s France recountry and make it available to the public. mains a nation of numerous indigenous and The Ministry of Culture has been very active foreign languages, of multiple ethnicities and since its creation, granting subsidies to artreligions, and of regional diversity that inists, promoting French culture in the world, cludes French citizens in Corsica, Guadeloupe, supporting festivals and cultural events, proMartinique and elsewhere around the globe. tecting historical monuments. The French

The creation of some sort of typical or government also succeeded in maintaining shared French culture or “cultural identity”, a cultural exception to defend audiovisual despite this vast heterogeneity, is the result of products made in the country. powerful internal forces — such as the French

France receives the highest number of educational system, mandatory military sertourists per year, largely thanks to the nuvice, state linguistic and cultural policies — merous cultural establishments and historiand by profound historic events — such as the cal buildings implanted all over the territory.

Franco-Prussian war and the two World Wars The 43,180 buildings protected as historical — which have forged a sense of national idenmonuments include mainly residences (many tity over the last 200 years. However, despite castles, or châteaux in French) and religious these unifying forces, France today still rebuildings (cathedrals, basilicas, churches, etc.), mains marked by social class and by imporbut also statutes, memorials and gardens. tant regional differences in culture (cuisine,

The conception of “French” culture howdialect/accent, local traditions) that many ever poses certain difficulties and presupposfear will be unable to withstand contempoes a series of assumptions about what prerary social forces (depopulation of the councisely the expression “French” means. Whereas tryside, immigration, centralization, market American culture posits the notion of the forces and the world economy). “melting-pot” and cultural diversity, the ex-

Day one

Arrival in Paris Check-In Notre Dame Le Marais Seine River Cruise

Le Marais

Le Marais is a historic district in Paris, France. Long the aristocratic district of Paris, it hosts many outstanding buildings of historic and architectural importance.

In 1240 the Order of the Temple built its fortified church just outside Paris’s walls, in the northern part of the Marais. The Temple turned the district into an attractive area, and many religious institutions were built nearby: the des Blancs-Manteaux, de Sainte-Croixde-la-Bretonnerie and des Carmes-Billettes convents, as well as the church of Sainte-Catherine-du-Val-des-Écoliers.

During the mid-13th century, Charles I of Anjou, King of Naples and Sicily, and brother of King Louis IX of France built his residence near the current n°7 rue de Sévigné. In 1361 the King

FUN FACTS

#1 nobility started to move Charles V built a mansion known as the After to Faubourg Saint-Germain, became one of Paris’ Hôtel Saint-Pol in which the Royal Court this main Jewish communities. settled during his and his son’s reigns.

From that time to the 17th centu- #2 The area is also known for ry and especially after the Royal Square its Chinese community.

World War I, France (Place Royale, current place des Vosges) During needed workers to replace soldiers and China sent a few was designed under King Henri IV in thousand of its citizens on 1605, the Marais was the French nobil- the condition that they would not take part in the war. After ity’s favorite place of residence. French the 1918 victory, some of them nobles built their urban mansions there decided to stay in Paris. such as the Hôtel de Sens, the Hôtel de how to get here from apartment: Sully, the Hôtel de Beauvais, the Hôtel Transport Walk to Marcadet-Poissoniers stop. Take M4 toward Mairie Carnavalet, the Hôtel de Guénégaud, de Montrouge for 8 stops. and the Hôtel de Soubise.

Get off at Etienne Marcel. northeast on Rue Pierre

The Marais is now one of Paris’ Head Lescot. Turn right onto Rue Marcel. Continue main localities for art galleries. Following Etienne onto Rue aux Ours. Continue its rehabilitation, the Marais has become onto Rue Grenier SaintLazare. Turn left onto Rue a fashionable district, home to many Beaubourg. Turn right onto Michel le Comte. Contrendy restaurants, fashion houses, and Rue tinue onto Rue des Haudriettes. Continue onto Rue des hip galleries.

Quatre-Fils.

Notre Dame

No other building epitomizes the history of Paris more than Notre-Dame. Built on the site of a Roman temple, the cathedral was commissioned by Bishop de Sully in 1159. The first stone was laid in 1163, marking the start of two centuries of toil by armies of Gothic architects and medieval craftsmen. It has been witness to great events of French history ever since, including the coronations of Henry VI in 1422 and Napoleon Bonaparte in 1804.

During the Revolution the building was desecrated and rechristened the Temple of Reason.

Extensive renovations (including the addition of the spire and

gargoyles) were carried out in the 19th century by architect Viollet-le-Duc.

As the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Paris, NotreDame is the parish that contains the cathedra, or official chair, of the archbishop of Paris, currently Cardinal André Vingt-Trois. The cathedral treasury is notable for its reliquary which houses some of Catholicism’s most important first-class relics including the purported Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the True Cross, and one of the Holy Nails.

FUN FACTS & INFORMATION

#1 Notre-Dame de Paris was among the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress (arched exterior supports).

#2 The Second World War caused damage to several stained glass windows on the lower tier when hit by stray bullets. These were remade after the war, but now sport a modern geometrical pattern, not the old scenes of the Bible.

hours Open daily 8am-6:45pm (until 7:15pm Sat & Sun) Free entry (audioguides available)

HOW TO GET HERE Walking from Le Marais: Head southwest on Rue Vieille du Temple. Turn right onto Rue de Rivoli. Turn left onto Quai de l’Hotel de ville. Turn left onot Pont d’Arcole.

Continue onto Rue d’Arcole. Turn right toward Parvis Notre-Dame - Pl. Jean-Paul II.

Seine River (Cruise) The remarkable French musichall star Mistinguett described the Seine as a “pretty blonde with laughing eyes.” THe river most certainly has a beguiling quality, but the relationship that exists between it and the city of Paris is far more than one of flirtation.

No other European city defines itself by its river in the same way as Paris. The Seine is the essential point of reference to the city: distances are measured from it, street numbers are determined by it, and it divides the capital into two distinct areas, the Right Bank on the north side and the Left Bank on the south side.

These are as well-defined as any of the official boundaries. The city

is also divided historically: the east is linked to the city’s ancient roots and the west to the 19th-20th centuries. Almost every building of note in Paris is along the river bank or within a stone’s throw of it. The quays are lined by fine bourgeois apartments, magnificent townhouses, world-renowned museums, and striking monuments.

Above all, the river is very much alive. For centuries fleets of small boats used it, but motorized land traffic stifled this oncebustling scene. Today, the river is busy with commercial barges and massive bateaux mouches pleasure boats carrying sightseers up and down the river.

INFORMATION

Tickets Adults: € 15 Can be reserved online.

hours Regular departures on Sat 11am-8:15pm, 9:30pm, 10:45pm Suggested to check in 20-30 min ahead

Address Quai de Montebello Leaving from Notre Dame 75005 Paris

€€ - Ice cream, Glacier Berthillon 29-31 rue St Louis en l’Ile 10:00 am - 8:00 pm (Wed-Sun) Price range: moderate Accepts credit Seating: indoor Take out is much cheaper €€€ - Cafe, Brunch Mariage Frères 30-32 rue du Bourg-Tibourg 10:30 am - 7:30 pm Price range: pricey Seating: indoor €€ - Market Marché de la Bastille Bd Richard Lenoir 7:00 am - 2:30 pm (Thur, Sun) Price range: moderate Cash only Food, flowers, etc €€ - French, Brunch Au Petit Fer a Cheval 30 rue Vieille du Temple 9:00 am - 2:00 am Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: outdoor/indoor €€ - Japanese-French Fusion Nanashi 57 rue Charlot 12:00 pm - 12:00 am Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit

dining

Seating: indoor

€ - Crepery, Street vendor Chez Alain Marché des Enfants Rouges 39 rue de Bretagne 9:00 am - 3:00 pm (WedSun) Price range: under €7 Cash only Seating: none € - Crepery, Desserts Princess Crêpe 3 rue des Ecouffes 1:00 pm - 7:00 pm (Tu,We,Fr,Sa,Su) Price range: under €7 Cash only Seating: indoor €€ - Sandwiches, Burgers Jolideli 1 rue Borda 9:00 am - 8:00 pm (MonSat) Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor €€ - Gelato Amorino 31 Rue Vieille Du Temple Today 12:00 pm - 12:00 am Price range: moderate Accepts credit Seating: none €€ - French, Brasserie

Les Chimères 133 rue St Antoine Quartier du marais 6:00 am - 2:00 am Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor €€ - Pizza, Ethnic, Kosher Pitzman 8 rue Pavée 11:00 am - 11:00 pm (MTWT-SS) Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor €€ - Brunch, Cafe Queen Ann 5 rue Simon le Franc 12:00 pm - 7:00 pm (TueSun) Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor €€ - Cafe La Caféothèque 50-52 rue de l’Hôtel de Ville 9:30 am - 7:30 pm Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor €€ - French, Bar Autour du Moulin 88 rue Lepic 11:00 am - 12:00 am (?)

Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor

Day two

Meeting Sainte Chapelle Conciergerie Palais de Justice

Meeting PARIS ESPAGNOLE EST

Directions

Meeting Times

From apartment by train: Walk to Marcadet-Poissoniers. Take M4 toward Mairie de Montrouge for 7 stops. Get off at Reaumur-Sebastopol stop. Take M3 toward Gallieni for 7 stops. Get off at Gambetta stop (take exit 2). Head northwest on Rue des Pyrenees toward Rue des Gatines. Turn left onto Rue du Retrait. Turn left onto Rue Laurence Savart.

Cong. Bible Study: Tuesday, 7:30 PM Public Meeting: Sunday, 10:30 AM

Address 16 Rue Laurence Savart 75020 Paris, France

Sainte Chapelle

Ethereal and magical, Sainte-Chapelle has been hailed as one of the greatest architectural masterpieces of the Western world. In the Middle Ages the devout likened this church to “a gateway to heaven.” Today no visitor can fail to be transported by the blaze of light created by the 15 magnificent stained-glass windows, separated by pencil-like columns soaring 50 ft to the star-studded roof. The windows portray more than 1,000 biblical scenes in a kaleidoscope of red, gold, green, and blue. Starting from the left near the entrance and proceeding clockwise, you can trace the scriptures from Genesis through to the Crucifixion and the Apocalypse.

The chapel was completed in 1248 by Louis IX to house what was believed to be Christ’s Crown of Thorns and fragments of the True

FUN FACTS & INFO

#1 concerts of classical music Cross (now in the treasury at Notre- Evening are held regularly in the chapel, Dame). The king, who was canonized taking advantage of its superb acoustics. for his good works, purchased the relics from the Emperor of Constan- #2 the final leg of the relic’s jourtinople, paying three times more for For ney to France, the King, barefoot dressed as a penitent, carried them than for the entire construction and them himself of Sainte-Chapelle.

The building actually consists hours Open daily 9:30am-6pm of two separate chapels. The somber lower chapel was used by servants Tickets Adult rate : 8,50 € and lower court officials, while the Add Conciergerie: 12,50 € can be purchased online. exquisite upper chapel, reached by Tickets Audioguides 4,50 € means of a narrow spiral staircase, was reserved for the royal family and how to get here Transport from meeting: Head its courtiers. A discreetly placed win- southwest on Rue Laurence Savart. right onto Rue Boyer. Condow enabled the king to take part in Turn tinue onto Rue de l’Ermitage. Turn left onto Rue des Pyrenees. Turn the celebrations unobserved. right onto Rue de Jourdain. Take entrance 1 to Jourdain stop. Take

During the Revolution the M11 toward Chatelet for 8 stops. Get building was badly damaged and be- off at Chatelet (take exit 13). Head on Av. Victoria. Turn left came a warehouse. It was renovated northwest onto Pl. du Chatelet. Continue onto au Change. Continue onto Bd a century later by architect Viollet-le- Pont du Palais.

Duc.

Conciergerie

Forming part of the huge Palais de Justice, the historic Conciergerie served as a prison from 1391-1914. Henry IV’s assassin, Francois Ravaillac, was imprisoned and tortured here in 1610.

During the Revolution the building was packed with over 4,000 prisoners. Its most celebrated inmate was Marie-Antoinette, who was held until her execution in 1793. Others included Charlotte Corday, who stabbed Revolutionary leader Marat.

The Conciergerie has a superb four-aisled Gothic hall, where guards of the royal household once lived. Renovated during the 19th century, the building retains its 11th-century torture

chamber and 14th-century clock tower.

The west part of the island was originally the site of a Merovingian palace, and was initially known as the Palais de la Cité. From the 10th to the 14th centuries it was the seat of the medieval Kings of France. In 135, Charles V abandoned the palace, moving across the river to the Louvre. The palace continued to serve an administrative function, and still included the chancellery and French Parliament. The king appointed a concierge to hold command of the palace. In 1391 part of the building was converted for use as a prison, and took its name from the ruling office.

FUN FACTS & INFORMATION

#1 Despite lasting only ten months, the Reign of Terror (September 1793-July 1794) had a profound impact on France. More than 40,000 people died from execution and imprisonment, and France would not be a republic again for nearly half a century.

#2 The revolutionary period continued the prison’s tradition of interning prisoners based on wealth, where the wealthier prisoners could rent a bed for 27 livres 12 sous for the first month, then down to 22 livres 10 sous for the subsequent months. Even when the price was lowered to 15 livres, the commanders of the prison made a fortune: as the Terror escalated, a prisoner could pay for a bed and be executed a few days later, opening the bed for a new inmate who would pay in turn.

hours Open daily 9:30am-6pm (last adm 5:30pm)

Tickets Adult rate : 8,50 € Add Sainte-Chapelle: 12,50 € Tickets can be purchased online.

Palais de Justice

This huge block of buildings making up the law courts of Paris stretches the entire width of the Ile de la Cite. It is a splendid sight with its Gothic towers lining the quays. The site has been occupied since ancient Roman times when it was the governors’ residence. It was the seat of royal power as the residence of the French monarchy such as Louis IX and remained as such until Charles V moved the court to the Marais following a bloody revolt in 1358 known as the Jacquerie revolt.

As the kings of France gradually began to build palaces elsewhere, the area came to be the seat of the sovereign court in the land, and hence a centre for all legal services in the capital.

In April 1793 the notorious Revolutionary Tribunal began dispensing justice

FUN FACTS

from the Premiere Chambre Civile, or #1 first civil chamber.

From the sixteenth century the French Revolution this

Today the site embodies Napo- to was the seat of the Parlement leon’s great legacy -- the French judicial de Paris. system. It houses Paris’s court of large #2 claims, the correctional court; its Court It was opened in October 1868 with little fanfare, save of Appeal and the French Cour de cas- from a visit by Baron Haussprefect of the Seine. It sation, which is highest jurisdiction in the mann, was awarded the Grand Prix de l’Empereur as the greatFrench judicial order. est work of art produced in France in the decade.

The building was reconstructed between 1857 and 1868 by architects Joseph-Louis Duc and Honoré Daumet.

The exterior includes sculptural work by Jean-Marie Bonnassieux. It was opened in October 1868 with little fanfare, save from a visit by Baron Haussmann, prefect of the Seine. It was awarded the Grand Prix de l’Empereur as the greatest work of art produced in France in the decade.

€€ - Ice cream, Glacier Berthillon 29-31 rue St Louis en l’Ile 10:00 am - 8:00 pm (Wed-Sun) Price range: moderate Accepts credit Seating: indoor Take out is much cheaper €€€ - Cafe, Brunch Mariage Frères 30-32 rue du Bourg-Tibourg 10:30 am - 7:30 pm Price range: pricey Seating: indoor €€ - Market Marché de la Bastille Bd Richard Lenoir 7:00 am - 2:30 pm (Thur, Sun) Price range: moderate Cash only Food, flowers, etc €€ - French, Brunch Au Petit Fer a Cheval 30 rue Vieille du Temple 9:00 am - 2:00 am Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: outdoor/indoor €€ - Japanese-French Fusion Nanashi 57 rue Charlot 12:00 pm - 12:00 am Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit

dining

Seating: indoor

€ - Crepery, Street vendor Chez Alain Marché des Enfants Rouges 39 rue de Bretagne 9:00 am - 3:00 pm (WedSun) Price range: under €7 Cash only Seating: none € - Crepery, Desserts Princess Crêpe 3 rue des Ecouffes 1:00 pm - 7:00 pm (Tu,We,Fr,Sa,Su) Price range: under €7 Cash only Seating: indoor €€ - Sandwiches, Burgers Jolideli 1 rue Borda 9:00 am - 8:00 pm (MonSat) Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor €€ - Gelato Amorino 31 Rue Vieille Du Temple Today 12:00 pm - 12:00 am Price range: moderate Accepts credit Seating: none €€ - French, Brasserie

Les Chimères 133 rue St Antoine Quartier du marais 6:00 am - 2:00 am Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor €€ - Pizza, Ethnic, Kosher Pitzman 8 rue Pavée 11:00 am - 11:00 pm (MTWT-SS) Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor €€ - Brunch, Cafe Queen Ann 5 rue Simon le Franc 12:00 pm - 7:00 pm (TueSun) Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor €€ - Cafe La Caféothèque 50-52 rue de l’Hôtel de Ville 9:30 am - 7:30 pm Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor €€ - French, Bar Autour du Moulin 88 rue Lepic 11:00 am - 12:00 am (?)

Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor

Day THREE

Palais Royal Tuileries Place de la Concorde Champs-Elysees Elysee Palace Arc de Triomphe La Defense

Palais Royal

This former royal palace has had a turbulent history. Originally called the Palais-Cardinal, it was built by Cardinal Richelieu in the early 17th century, passing to the Crown on his death and becoming Palais-Royal.

After Louis XIII died the following year, it became the home of the Queen Mother Anne of Austria and her young sons Louis XIV and Philippe, duc d’Anjou, along with her advisor Cardinal Mazarin. From 1649, the palace was the residence of the exiled Henrietta Maria and Henrietta Anne Stuart, wife and daughter of the deposed King Charles I of England. The two had escaped England in the midst of the English Civil War and

were sheltered by Henrietta Maria’s nephew, King Louis XIV.

Henrietta Anne was later married to Louis’ younger brother, Philippe de France, duc d’Orléans in the palace chapel on 31 March 1661. The following year the new duchesse d’Orléans gave birth to a daughter, Marie Louise d’Orléans, inside the palace.

After their marriage, the palace became the main residence of the House of Orléans. Under the 18thcentury royal dukes of Orleans, it became the epicenter of brilliant gatherings, interspersed with periods of gambling and debauchery.

It was from here that the clarion call to revolution roused the mobs to storm the Bastille on July 14, 1789.

FUN FACTS & INFORMATION

#1 The southern section of the building houses the Councils of State and the Ministry of Culture.

#2 The palais Brion, a separate pavilion standing along rue Richelieu, to the west of the Palais-Royal, had been purchased

by Louis XIV from the heirs of Cardinal Richelieu. Louis had it connected to the Palais-Royal. It was at the palais Brion that Louis had his mistress Louise de La Vallière stay while his affair with Madame de Montespan was still an official secret.

hours Open daily 7am-11pm

How to get here Transport from apartment: Walk to Marcadet-Poissoniers stop. Take M4 toward Mairie de Montrouge for 9 stops. Get off at Les Halles (take exit 4). Head west on Allee Jules Supervielle (take stairs) and continue left. Continue onto Rue des Prouvaires.

Turn right onto Rue Saint-Honore. Turn right onto Galerie de Nemours.

Tuileries

PALACE The Tuileries Palace was a royal and imperial palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine. It was the usual Parisian residence of most French monarchs, from Henry IV to Napoleon III, until it was destroyed in the upheaval of the Paris Commune in 1871.

Built in 1564, it was gradually extended until it closed off the western end of the Louvre courtyard and displayed an immense façade of 266 metres. Since the destruction of the Tuileries, the Louvre courtyard has remained open and the site is now the location of the eastern end of the Tuileries Garden, forming an elevated terrace between the Place du Carrousel and the gardens.

Since 2003, a committee has been proposing to rebuild the Tuileries

Le Nôtre’s central axis of the Tuileries’ parterres in a late 17th-century engraving

Palace. Ever since the destruction of 1883, the famous view of the ChampsÉlysées, which ended on the majestic façade of the Tuileries Palace, now ends at the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, formerly centered on the Tuileries but now occupying an empty space.

GARDEN The Tuileries Garden is a public garden located between the Louvre Museum and the Place de la Concorde in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. Created by Catherine de Medicis as the garden of the Tuileries Palace in 1564, it was eventually opened to the public in 1667, and became a public park after the French Revolution. In the 19th and 20th century, it was the place where Parisians celebrated, met, promenaded, and relaxed.

FUN FACTS

#1 The ruins of the Tuileries stood on the site for 11 years.

Although the roofs and the inside of the palace had been utterly destroyed by the fire, the stone shell of the palace remained intact and restoration was possible. After much hesitation, the Third Republic decided not to restore the ruins of the Tuileries.

#2 In 2006 a rebuilding of the Palace of the Tuileries was estimated to cost 300 million euros (US$ 380 million).

hours Open daily (7am-11pm)

how to get here Walking from Palais Royal: Turn right onto Rue SaintHonore. Turn left onto Rue de Rohan. Slight right onto Pl. du Carrousel. Turn right onto Rue de Rivoli.

Place de la Concorde One of Europe’s most magnificent and historic squares, covering over 20 acres, the place de la Concorde was a swamp until the mid-18th century. It became the Place Louis XV in 1775 when royal architect JacquesAnge Gabriel was asked by the king to design a suitable setting for an equestrian statue of himself.

The monument, which lasted here less than 20 years, was replaced by the guillotine (the Black Widow, as it came to be known), and the square was renamed Place de la Revolution. On January 21, 1793, Louis XVI was beheaded, followed by over 1,300 other victims including Marie Antoinette, Madame du Barry, Charlotte Corday (Marat’s assassin), and revolutionary leaders Danton and Robespierre.

The blood-soaked square was optimistically renamed Place de la Concorde after the Reign of Terror finally came to an end in 1794. After the Bourbon Restoration of 1814, the name was changed back to Place Louis XV, and in 1826 the square was renamed Place Louis XVI. In 1829, the 3,200-year-old Luxor obelisk was presented to King LouisPhilippe as a gift from the viceroy of Egypt (who also donated Cleopatra’s Needle in London). After the July Revolution of 1830 the name was returned to Place de la Concorde and has remained since.

Flanking the rue Royale on the north side of the square are two of Gabriel’s Neoclassical mansions, the Hotel de la Marine and the exclusive Hotel Crillon.

FUN FACTS

#1 Missing its original cap, believed stolen in the 6th century BC, the government of France added a gold-leafed pyramid cap to the top of the obelisk in 1998.

#2 Without warning, in 2000 French urban climber Alain “Spiderman” Robert, using only his bare hands, climbing shoes and no safety devices, scaled the obelisk all the way to the top.

#3 Hittorff’s two fountains were on the theme of rivers and seas, in part because of their proximity to the Ministry of Navy, and to the Seine. Their arrangement, on a north-south axis aligned with the Obelisk of Luxor and the Rue Royale, and the form of the fountains themselves, were influenced by the fountains of Rome, particularly Piazza Navona and the Piazza San Pietro, both of which had obelisks aligned with fountains.

Champs-Elysees The majestic avenue “of the Elysian Fields” first laid out in the 1660s by the landscape designer Andre Le Notre, forms a 2 mile straight line from the huge Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe.

The 19th century saw it transformed for horseride into elegant boulevard. The formal gardens that line the Champs-Elysees from the Place de la Concorde to the Rond-Point have changed little since they were laid out by the architect Jacques Hittorff in 1838.

The gardens were used as the setting for the World Fair of 1855, which included the Palais de l’Industrie, Paris’s response to London’s Crystal Palace. The Palais was later replaced by the Grand Palais

and the Petit Palais, which was created as a showpiece of the Third Republic for the Universal Exhibition of 1900. They sit on either side of an impressive vista that stretches from the Place Clemenceau across the elegant curve of the Pont Alexandre III, with its four strong anchoring columns, to the Invalides.

Today it’s a crowded tourist trap with notorious traffic, but the Champs-Elysees keeps its style, its memories, and a special place in the French heart. National parades are held here, the finish of the annual Tour de France bicycle race is always in the Champs-Elysees, and, above all, it is where Parisians instinctively go at times of great national celebration.

FUN FACTS

#1 The name refers to a mythical Greek heaven for heroes.

#2 The Champs-Élysées was originally fields and market gardens, until 1616, when Marie de’ Medici decided to extend the axis of the Tuileries Garden with an avenue of trees.

#3 Every year on Bastille Day on 14 July, the largest military parade in Europe passes down the ChampsÉlysées, reviewed by the President of the Republic.

#4 Huge and spontaneous gatherings occasionally take place on the Champs-Élysées in celebration of popular events, such as New Year’s Eve, or when France won the 1998 FIFA World Cup. The Champs-Élysées has been the site of numerous large political protest gatherings, like those connected to the 2002 Presidential election.

Palais de l’Elysee

Amid splendid gardens, the Elysee Palace was built in 1718 and has been the official residence of the President of the Republic since 1848. Several occupants left their mark.

Louis XV’s mistress, Madame de Pompadour, had the whole site enlarged. In 1773, it was purchased by Nicolas Beaujon, banker to the Court and one of the richest men in France, who needed a suitably sumptuous “country house” (the city of Paris did not yet extend this far) to house his collection of great masters paintings. He hired the architect Étienne-Louis Boullée to make alterations to the buildings as well as design an English-style garden.

With the French Revolution, the Duchess of Bourbon, who had

purchased it in 1787, fled the country, and the Élysée was confiscated. It was leased out. The gardens were used for eating, drinking, and dancing, under the name Hameau de Chantilly; and the rooms became gambling houses.

In the 19th century, it was home to Napoleon’s sister (Caroline Murat) and his wife, Empress Josephine, and was named the Elysee-Napoleon.

In 1853, following his coup d’état that ended the Second Republic, Napoléon III charged the architect JosephEugène Lacroix with renovations. Since Lacroix completed his work in 1867, the essential look of the Palais de l’Élysée has remained the same. In 1873, during the Third Republic, The Élysée became the official presidential residence.

FUN FACTS

#1 In 1899, Félix Faure became the only French President to die in the palace.

#2 In 1917, an orangutan escaped from a nearby ménagerie, entered the palace and was said to have tried to haul the wife of President Raymond Poincaré into a tree only to be foiled by Élysée guards.

#3 Napoleon III moved to the Tuileries Palace during renovations but kept the Élysée as a discreet place to meet his mistresses, moving between the two palaces through a secret underground passage that has since been demolished.

Note The Elysee Palace is closed to the public.

Arc de Triomphe After his greatest victory, the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805, Napoleon promised his men they would “go home beneath triumphal arches.”

The first stone of what was to become the world’s most famous triumphal arch was laid the following year. But disruptions to architect Jean Chalgrin’s plans and the demise of the Napoleonic power delayed completion. Standing 164 ft high, the Arc is encrusted with reliefs, shields, and sculptures. The viewing platform offers splendid views.

On November 11, 1920, the body of the Unknown Soldier was placed beneat the arch to commemorate the dead of World War I. The tomb’s eternal flame is lit every

evening.

The Arc de Triomphe is the linchpin of the historic axis (Axe historique) – a sequence of monuments and grand thoroughfares on a route which goes from the courtyard of the Louvre, to the Grande Arche de la Défense. The Arc is located on the right bank of the Seine at the centre of a dodecagonal configuration of twelve radiating avenues.

The monument was designed

by Jean Chalgrin in 1806, and its iconographic program pitted heroically nude French youths against bearded Germanic warriors in chain mail. It set the tone for public monuments, with triumphant patriotic messages.

FUN FACTS

#1 Famous victory marches around or under the Arc have included the Germans in 1871, the French in 1919, the Germans in 1940, and the French and Allies in 1944 and 1945.

#2 After the interment of the Unknown Soldier, all military parades have avoided marching through the actual arch. The route taken is up to the arch and then around its side, out of respect for the tomb and its symbolism. Both Hitler in 1940 and de Gaulle in 1944 observed this custom.

hours Open daily 10am-11pm

tickets Adult rate : 9,50 € Reduced rate : 6 € Can be purchased online in advance.

Open Mon-Sat 10am-11:45pm Sun 12pm-11:45pm

La Defense

La Grande Arche de la Défense is a monument and building in the business district of La Défense and in the commune of Puteaux, to the west of Paris, France.

This skyscraper business city on the western edge of Paris is the largest office development in Europe. La Grande Arche is an enormous hollow cube large enough to contain NotreDame cathedral.

A great national design competition was launched in 1982 as the initiative of French president François Mitterrand. Danish architect Johann Otto von Spreckelsen and Danish engineer Erik Reitzel designed the winning entry to be a 20th-century version of the Arc de Triomphe: a monument to humanity and humani-

tarian ideals rather than military victories.

La Grande Arche was inaugurated in July 1989, with grand military parades that marked the bicentennial of the French revolution. It completed the line of monuments that forms the Axe historique running through Paris.

The Arche is turned at an angle of 6.33° on this axis. The main reason for this was technical: with a métro station, an RER station, and a motorway all situated underneath the Arche, the angle was necessary to accommodate the structure’s giant foundations. From an architectural point of view, the turn emphasizes the depth of the monument and is similar to the turn of the Louvre at the other end of the Axe historique.

FUN FACTS

#1 The Arche is placed so that it forms a secondary axe with the two highest buildings in Paris, the Tour Eiffel and the Tour Montparnasse.

#2 The Arche is in the approximate shape of a cube (width: 110m, height: 110m, depth: 110m); it has been suggested that the structure looks like a hypercube (a tesseract) projected onto the three-dimensional world.

How to get here Transport from Arc de Triomphe: Head north on Av. Mac-Mahon. Turn left onto Rue de Tilsitt. Turn right onto Av. Carnot. Take entrance 5 into Charles de Gaulle-Etoile station. Take RER A toward La Defense for 1 stop. Head southeast on Voie Perronet Nord.

Turn onto Rond-point de la Defense.

€€ - Cafe Le Nemours 2 place Colette 9:30 am - 7:30 pm (?)

Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor €€€ - Cafe, Brunch, Bakery Angelina 226 rue de Rivoli 8:00 am - 7:00 pm Price range: €21-40 Accepts credit Seating: indoor €€€ - French, Cafe Café Marly 93 rue de Rivoli 8:00 am - 2:00 am Price range: €21-40 Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor €€ - Sandwiches Cojean 3 place du Louvre Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor

dining

Bakery Aki Boulanger 16 rue Saint-Anne 7:30 am - 8:30 pm (MonSat) Price range: Moderate Cash only Seating: outdoor €€ - American, Street Vendor, Burgers Cantine California Marché St Honoré/ Marché Raspail 11:30 am - 2:00 pm (Te,We,Fr,Sa) Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: none

€€ - Brunch, Cafe Claus 14 rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor € - Cafe Petit Palais Cafe 1 avenue Dutuit 10:30 am - 5:00 pm (TueSun) Price range: under €7 Accepts credit Seating: outdoor

€€ - Grocery €€ - Grocery Monoprix K-Mart (Korean) 52 ave des Champs Ely6-8 rue Sainte-Anne sées 10:00 am - 9:00 pm (Tue- 9:00 am - 12:00 am Sun) (Mon-Sat) Price range: Moderate Price range: moderate Accepts credit Accepts credit

€ - Cafe, Brunch Telescope 5 rue Villedo 8:30 am - 6:30 pm €€ - French Price range: under €7 Comptoir de la Gastron- Accepts credit omie ☆ Seating: indoor 34 rue Montmartre Price range: €8-20 €€ - Fast, French Accepts credit Boco Seating: indoor/outdoor 3 rue Danielle CasaEscargot, foie gras, nova soupe à l’oignon au 11:00 am - 10:00 pm formage, canard, bœuf (Mon-Sat) bourguignon Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit €€ - French-Japanese, Seating: indoor

€€€ - Cafe, French Café Sud Restaurant 12 rue Castellane 10:30 am - 1:00 am (?)

Price range: €21-40 Accepts credit Seating: indoor €€€ - Winery, Dessert Hédiard 31 avenue George V 10:00 am - 9:00 pm (?)

Price range: pricey Accepts credit Seating: indoor

Day FOUR

Palace of Versailles Gardens of Versailles

Chateau de Versailles The present palace, started by Louis XIV in 1668, grew around Louis XIII’s original hunting lodge. Architect Louis Le Vau built the first section, which expanded into an enlarged courtyard.

From 1678, Jules Hardouin-Mansart added north and south wings and the Hall of Mirrors. He also designed the chapel, completed in 1710. The Opera House was added by Louis XV in 1770.

Andre Le Notre enlarged the gardens and broke the monotony of the symmetrical layout with expanses of water and creative use of uneven ground.

Life at Versailles was intrinsically determined by position, favour and above all one’s birth. The Chateau was a sprawling cluster of lodgings for which courtiers vied and manipulated. Today, many people see Versailles as unparal-

INFORMATION

leled in its magnificence and splendour; Tickets yet few know of the actual living condi- Ticket to estate: 18 € Can be purchased online in tions many of Versailles residents had advance. to endure. Apart from the royal family, Tours: 7 € + entrance ticket the majority of the residents were senior hours Palace: Open Tue-Sun 9ammembers of the household.

6:30pm (last adm 6pm)

The sumptuous main apartments Trianon Palaces/Marie-AntoiEstate: Open Tue-Sun are on the first floor of this vast chateau nette’s 12pm-6:30pm (last adm 6pm) Open daily 8amcomplex. Around the Marble Courtyard Garden: 8:30pm are the private apartments of the king and queen. On the garden side are the how to get here Transport from apartment: state apartments where official court life At Marcadet-Poissoniers take M4 toward Mairie took place. These were richly decorated stop, de Montrouge to MontparWalk to

by Charles Le Brun with marble, stone nasse-Bienvenue.

Gare Montparnasse (rail and wood carvings, murals, velvet, sil- station) and take the N train (GEPU) toward Plaisir Griver, and gilded furniture. Beginning with gnon and get off at Viroflay Gauche (train station). the Salon d’Hercule, each state room is Rive Change to RER C (VICK) toward Gare de Versailles/ dedicated to an Olympian deity. The Rive Gauche/Chateau de Versailles. climax is the Hall of Mirrors, where 17 great mirrors face tall arched windows.

Gardens of Versailles The Gardens of Versailles occupy part of what was once the Domaine royal de Versailles, the royal demesne of the château of Versailles. Situated to the west of the palace, the gardens cover some 800 hectares of land, much of which is landscaped in the classic French Garden style perfected here by André Le Nôtre.

Beyond the surrounding belt of woodland, the gardens are bordered by the urban areas of Versailles to the east and Le Chesnay to the north-east, by the National Arboretum de Chèvreloup to the north, the Versailles plain (a protected wildlife preserve) to the west, and by the Satory Forest to the south.

As part of le domaine national de Versailles et de Trianon, an autonomous public entity operating under

the aegis of the French Ministry of FUN FACTS Culture, the gardens are now one of #1 Versailles Orangery, which the most visited public sites in France, The was designed by Louis Le Vau, receiving more than six million visitors was located south of the château, a situation that took advantage of the natural slope of a year. the hill. It provided a protected

In addition to the meticulous area in which orange trees were kept during the winter months. manicured lawns, parterres of flowers, and sculptures are the fountains, #2 In 1792, Louis Claude Marie which are located throughout the Richard – director of the jardins botaniques and grandson of garden. Dating from the time of Claude Richard – lobbied the Louis XIV and still using much of government to save Versailles.

He succeeded in preventing the same network of hydraulics as further dispersing of the Grand was used during the Ancien Régime, Parc and threats to destroy the Petit Parc were abolished by suggesting that the parterres the fountains contribute to making could be used to plant vegetable the gardens of Versailles unique. On gardens and that orchards could occupy the open areas of weekends from late spring to early the garden. Fortunately, these plans were never put into acautumn, the administration of the tion; however, the gardens were museum sponsors the Grandes Eaux opened to the public – it was not uncommon to see people – spectacles during which all the washing their laundry in the fountains and spreading it on fountains in the gardens are in full the shrubbery to dry. play.

dining €€€ - Cafe Angelina Cour des Princes Pavillon d’Orléans 78 Price range: pricey (?)

Accepts credit Seating: indoor

€€ - French, Cafe Le Grand Café d’Orléans Château de Versailles 78000 Versailles Price range: moderate Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor

€€ - French Le Parnasse 4 rue André Chénier 11:00 am - 10:00 pm (?)

Price range: moderate Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor

Day five

Musee du Louvre

Louvre

The Musee du louvre, containing one of the most important art collections in the world, has a history dating back to medieval times. First built as a fortress in 1190 by King Philippe-Auguste to protect Paris against Viking raids, it lost its keep in the reign of Francois I, who replaced it with a Renaissance-style building.

Remnants of the fortress are visible in the basement of the museum.

In 1682, Louis XIV chose the Palace of Versailles for his household, leaving the Louvre primarily as a place to display the royal collection, including, from 1692, a collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture.

In 1692, the building was occupied by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres and the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture,

which in 1699 held the first of a series of salons. The Académie remained at the Louvre for 100 years.

During the French Revolution, the National Assembly decreed that the Louvre should be used as a museum to display the nation’s masterpieces.

Plans for modernization and expansion of the Louvre were first conceived in 1981. They included the transfer of the Ministry of Finance from the Richelieu wing of the Louvre to new offices elsewhere, as well as a new main entrance designed by architect I.M. Pei in 1989. Made of metal and glass, the pyramid enables the visitor to see the buildings around the palace, while allowing light down into the underground visitors’ reception area.

INFORMATION

HOURS Mon, Thu, Sat, Sun 9am-6pm Wed & Fri 9am-9:45pm (Closed Tues)

tickets Permanent collection: € 12 Can be purchased online in advance Open Mon-Sat 10am-11:45pm Sun 12pm-11:45pm Audioguide App for iPhone - $1.99 Audioguide Louvre-Nintendo 3DS XL Rental (€ 5)

note The museum doesn’t open all rooms every day. Filming/photography are permitted in permanent collection.

Flash or other lighting equipment is not. Filming/photography are not allowed in the special exhibitions.

how to get here Transport from apartment: From Marcadet-Poissoniers stop, take M4 toward Mairie de Montrouge for 10 stops. Get off at Chatelet. Change to M1 toward La Defense. Take it for 2 stops. Get off at Palais Royal - Musee du Louvre.

dining €€ - International (?)

Le Cafe Diane Tuileries Garden Hours of Tuileries Price range: €8-20 (?)

Accepts credit (?)

Seating: outdoors (Smoking allowed) €€ - French (?)

Le Cafe Mollien Denon Wing 10:30 am - 7:00 pm (Wed & Fri only) 10:30 am - 5:00 pm (every other day) Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit (?)

Seating: indoor € - Bakery/Deli Le Comptoir du Louvre Beneath pyramid 9:00 am - 9:30 pm (Wed & Fri only) 9:00 am - 7:00 pm

(every other day) Price range: under €7 Accepts credit (?)

Seating: limited €€ - Deli Le Kiosque Paul Carrousel Garden 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit (?)

Seating: none €€ - Food Court Les Cafes de la Pyramide Beneath pyramid / Mezzanine / Richelieu Wing 10:30 am - 7:00 pm (Wed & Fri only) 10:30 am - 5:00 pm (every other day) Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor

€ - Snack Denon & Richelieu take-away counters Beneath pyramid / Mezzanine / Denon Wing / Richelieu Wing 9:30 am - 5:30 pm Price range: moderate Accepts credit (?)

Seating: none €€ - Creperie/Brasserie Tuileries Garden Hours of Tuileries Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit (> €15) Seating: outdoor € - Glacerie (Ice Cream) Tuileries Garden Hours of Tuileries Price range: under €7 Seating: none

Day six

Les Invalides Musee d’Orsay Tour Eiffel

Hotel des Invalides Les Invalides, officially known as L’Hôtel national des Invalides (The National Residence of the Invalids), or also as Hôtel 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, the building’s original purpose.

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, as well as the burial site for some of France’s war heroes, notably Napoleon Bonaparte.

Louis XIV initiated the project by an order dated 24 November

1670, as a home and hospital for aged and unwell soldiers: the name is a shortened form of hôpital des invalides. Upon completion, it was felt that the veterans required a chapel.

Inspired by St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the original for all Baroque domes, the Église du Dôme is one of the triumphs of French Baroque architecture. The domed chapel is centrally placed to dominate the court of honour. It was finished in 1708.

On 14 July 1789 it was stormed by Parisian rioters who seized the cannons and muskets stored in its cellars to use against the Bastille later the same day. Napoleon was entombed under the dome of the Invalides with great ceremony in 1840.

INFORMATION

HOURS Open daily 10am - 6pm Dome Church (tomb of Napoleon I) open until 7pm

tickets Museum: €9,5 Can be purchased online in advance.

Multimedia Guide on iPod Touch Full price: €6 Reduced price: €4 (for under 25)

how to get here Transport from apartment: From Marcadet-Poissoniers stop, take M4 toward Mairie de Montrouge for 6 stops. Get off at Strasbourg-Saint Denis stop.

Change to M8 toward Balard.

After 8 stops, get off at La TourMaubourg (exit 1).

Musee d’Orsay

In 1986, 47 years after it had closed as a major train station, Victor Laloux’s turn-of-the-century building reopened as the Musee d’Orsay. Built as the Orleans railroad terminus in the heart of Paris, it narrowly avoided demolition in the 1970s. In the conversion to a museum, much of the original architecture was retained. The museum presents the rich diversity of visual arts from 1848 to 1914 and explains the social and technological context in which they were created. Exhibits include paintings, sculptures, furniture, and decorative objects. The museum also has a program of classical music concerts.

Many of the paintings in the Musee d’Orsay came from the Louvre and the Impressionist collection

once in the Jeu de Paume. Paintings from before 1870 are on the ground floor, presided over by Thomas Couture’s massive ‘Romans of the Decadence.’ Neo-Classical masterpieces, like Ingres’s ‘La Source,’ hang near Romantic works like Delacroix’s turbulent ‘Tiger Hunt.’ These exotic visions contrast with Realist works by artists like Courbet and early canvases by Degas and Manet, including the latter’s famous ‘Olympia.’

The museum’s central aisle overflows with sculpture, from Daumier’s satirical busts of members of parliament to Carpeaux’s exuberant ‘The Dance’ and Rodin’s ‘The Gates of Hell.’ Decorative arts and architecture are on the middle level, where there is also a display of Art Nouveau.

INFORMATION

Tickets Full rate: € 11 Reduced rate: €8.50 for 18-25 year olds not citizens of EU (Must provide photo ID) Can be purchased online in advance.

hours Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun 9:30am - 6pm Thur 9:30am - 9:45pm

Note In the interests of the safety of works and visitors, and to ensure a more pleasurable visit, photography and filming are no longer allowed in the museum galleries.

how to get here Walking from Les Invalides: Take Bd des Invalides left.

Turn right onto Rue de Varenne. Turn left onto Rue de Bellechasse. Turn right onto Rue de Lille.

Tour Eiffel The Eiffel Tower is an iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. It was named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Erected in 1889 as the entrance arch to the 1889 World’s Fair, it was initially criticised by some of France’s leading artists and intellectuals for its design, but has become both a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The tower is the tallest structure in Paris and the most-visited paid monument in the world; 6.98 million people ascended it in 2011.

The tower received its 250 mil-

lionth visitor in 2010.

The tower is 1,063 ft tall, about the same height as an 81-story building. During its construction, the Eiffel Tower surpassed the Washington Monument to assume the title of the tallest man-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years, until the Chrysler Building in New York City was built in 1930. Because of the addition of the antenna atop the Eiffel Tower in 1957, it is now taller than the Chrysler Building by 17 ft. Not including broadcast antennae, it is the second-tallest structure in France, after the Millau Viaduct.

INFORMATION

Tickets Lift entrance ticket (valid to 2nd floor) Full Price: €9,00 Reduced: €7,50 (under 25) Lift entrance ticket to top Full price: €15,00 Reduced: €13,50 Stairs entrance ticket (valid to 2nd floor) Full price: €5,00 Reduced: €4,00 All can be purchased online.

Audio Tour app for iPhone (€2.69)

hours Open daily 9am - 12:45am (Last lift 12am)

how to get here Transport from Musee d’Orsay: From Musee d’Orsay RER station, take RER c toward Versailles - Chateau/Saint-Quentin/ChavilleVelizy/Pointoise for 3 stops. Get off at Champ de Mars - Tour Eiffel (take exit Boulevard de Grenelle). Head northeast on Quai Branly.

Turn right onto Rue Jean Rey. Turn left onto Av. de Suffren. Turn right onto Av. Octave Greard. Continue onto Av. Gustave Eiffel.

dining €€€ - Cafe, Dessert Le Procope ☆ 13 rue de l’Ancienne Comédie 10:30 am - 1:00 am Price range: €21-40 Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor Oldest cafe in Paris €€ - French Le Bonaparte 42 rue Bonaparte 8:00 am - 2:00 am Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor €€ - French, Bar Café Jade 10 rue Buci 10:30 am - 1:00 am Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor €€ - Bistro, Cafe Café de la mairie 8 place Saint Sulpice 10:00 am - 9:00 pm (?)

Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor €€ - French, Cafe Café des Arts

31 rue St André des Arts 11:00 am - 11:00 pm (?)

Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor €€€ - French, Cafe Le Deux Magots 6 place Saint Germain des Prés 7:30 am - 1:30 am Price range: €21-40 Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor Hemingway, Picasso, & more came here. €€€ - Cafe, French Le Café Tournon 18 rue Tournon 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Price range: pricey Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor Duke Ellington played jazz here €€€ - French Da Rosa 62 rue de Seine 12:00 pm - 11:30 pm Price range: €21-40 Accepts credit Seating: indoor €€ - Asian Fusion Wok Saint Germain 45 rue Dauphine

10:00 am - 9:00 pm (?)

Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor €€ - French, Brasserie Café de l’Empire 17 rue du Bac 10:00 am - 9:00 pm (?)

Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor €€€ - Brunch, cafe Cafe Central 40 rue Cler 10:00 am - 10:00 pm (?)

Price range: €21-40 Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor €€ - French, Brasserie Café Le Pierrot 67 avenue la Motte Picquet 6:30 am - 2:00 am Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor €€ - French Le Roussillon 186 rue Grenelle 9:00 am - 2:00 am Price range: moderate Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor

Day seven

Saint Denis Latin Quarter La Sorbonne Pantheon Jardin du Luxembourg Catacombs

Basilique St-Denis According to legend, the decapitated St-Denis struggled here, clutching his head, and an abbey was erected to commemorate the martyred bishop.

Following the burial of Dagobert I in the basilica in 638, a royal link with St-Denis began, which was to span 12 centuries. Most French kings were entombed in St-Denis, and all the queens of France were crowned here. The elegant, early Gothic basilica rests on Carolingian and Romanesque crypts. Of the medieval effigies, the most impressive are of Charles V (1364) and a 12th-century likeness in enameled copper of Blanche de France with her dog. The mask-like serenity of these effigies is in sharp contrast with the graphically realistic Renaissance portrayal of agony pres-

ent in the grotesque mausoleum of Louis XII and Anne de Bretagne. Both are represented as naked figures, their faces eerily captured at the moment of death. Above the mausoleum, effigies of the finely dressed royal couple contmplate their own nakedness. As a reflection of humanity in the face of death, the tombs have few rivals.

The site originated as a GalloRoman cemetery, in late Roman times—the archeological remains still lie beneath the cathedral; the people buried there seem to have had a faith that was a mix of Christian and preChristian beliefs and practices.

The abbey church was renamed as a cathedral in 1966 and is the seat of the Bishop of Saint-Denis, Pascal Michel Ghislain Delannoy.

INFORMATION

Tickets Full Rate: 7,50 € Reduced Rate : 4,50 € Audioguide: 4,50 € Can be purchased online in advance.

hours Open daily Mon-Sat 10am-6:15pm Sun 12pm-6:15pm

how to get here Transport from apartment: From Marcadet-Poissoniers, take M4 toward Mairie de Montrouge for 2 stops. At Barbes - Rochechouart stop, take M2 toward Porte Dauphine for 4 stops. At Place de Clichy stop, take M13 toward Saint-Denis - Universite for 8 stops. Get off at Basilique de Saint-Denis (take exit 1 Passage de l’Aqueduc). Head south on Pl. du Caquet. Turn left onto Pl. Victor Hugo.

Catacombs

The Catacombs of Paris are underground ossuaries in Paris, France.

Located south of the former city gate, the ossuaries holds the remains of about six million people and fills a renovated section of caverns and tunnels that are the remains of historical mines. Opened in the late 18th century, the underground cemetery became a tourist attraction on a small scale from early 19th century, and has been open to the public since 1874.

The Catacombs of Paris became a ‘curiosity’ for privileged Parisians from their creation, the first known being King Charles X in 1787, but the first known public visits only began after its renovation into a proper ossuary. First allowed a few times a year with the permission of an authorised

Mines inspector, then frequently in visits led by any mine overseer, a flow of often unscrupulous visitors degraded the ossuary to a point where the permission-only rule was restored from 1830, and the catacombs closed in 1833 because of church opposition to exposing ‘sacred’ human bones to public display.

Open again for four visits a year from 1850, public demand moved the government to allow monthly visits from 1867, bi-weekly visits on the first and third Saturday of each month from 1874 (with an extra opening for the November 1 toussaint holiday), and weekly visits during the 1878, 1889 (the most visitors yet that year) and 1900 World’s Fair Expositions.

INFORMATION

hours Open daily 10am-5pm (last adm 4pm)

tickets Full rate: 8€ Half rate: 4€ (for under 25) Audioguides: 3€

How to get here Transport from Saint Denis: From Basilique Saint-Denis stop, take M13 toward Chatillon-Montrouge for 17 stops. Get off at Montparnasse-Bienvenue stop and switch to M6 toward Nation. After 3 stops, get off at Denfert-Rochereau stop (take exit 1). Head northeast on Av. du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy.

La Sorbonne

The Sorbonne, seat of the University of Paris until 1969, was established in 1253 by Robert de Sorbon, confessor to Louix IX, for 16 poor scholars to study theology. The name is derived from the Collège de Sorbonne, founded in 1257

by Robert de Sorbon as one of the first significant colleges of the medieval University of Paris. The university as such predates the college by about a century, and minor colleges had been founded already in the late 12th century. It went on to become the center of scholastic theology.

During the 16th century, the Sorbonne became a focal point of the intellectual struggle between Catholics and Protestants. The University served as a major stronghold of Catholic conservative attitudes, and as such conducted a

FUN FACTS

bitter struggle against King Francis I’s #1 policy of relative tolerance towards the In 1469, three printing machines were brought from French Protestants, except for a brief Mainz, and the first printing period in 1533 when the University was house in France was founded. placed under Protestant control. #2

The college’s opposition to liberal “Sorbonne” was frequently used as a synonym for the 18th-century philosophical ideas led to Paris Faculty of Theology despite being only one of many its suppression during the Revolution. colleges of the university.

It was re-established by Napoleon in how to get here 1806, and the 17th-century buildings Transport from Catacombs: replaced. In 1969 the Sorbonne split into From Denfert-Rochereau stop, take M4 toward Porte 13 separate universities, but the building de Clignancourt for 7 stops. off at Odeon stop. Head still holds some lectures. These universi- Get southeast on Bd Saint-GerContinue onto Rue de ties still stand under the management of main. l’Ecole de Medecine. Continue a common rectorate – the Rectorate of onto Rue des Ecoles. Turn right onto Rue de la SorParis - with offices in the Sorbonne. The bonne. thirteen successor universities to the University of Paris are now split over the three academies of the Île-de-France region.

Latin Quarter

Since the Middle Ages this riverside quarter has been dominated by the Sorbonne, and acquired its name from the early Latin-speaking students. It dates back to the Roman town across from the Ile de la Cite; at that time the Rue St.-Jacques was one of the main roads out of Paris.

The area is generally associated with artists, intellectuals, and a bohemian way of life; it also has a history of political unrest. In 1871, the Place St.Michel became the center of the Paris Commune, and in May 1968 it was the site of student uprisings. Today the eastern half has become sufficiently chic, however, to house members of the Establishment.

Known for its student life, lively atmosphere and bistros, the Latin

FUN FACTS Quarter is the home to a number of #1 higher education establishments beOne of the main events of French sides the university itself, such as the resistance to the occupying took place in the square, École Normale Supérieure, the École Nazis and in the now legendary riots of 1968, students took charge of des Mines de Paris, Panthéon-Assas the square in the face of tear gas University, the Schola Cantorum, and and police clubs, declaring it an independent state. the Jussieu university campus. Other establishments such as the École #2 Place Saint-Michel is known Polytechnique have relocated in recent The as the site of the Fontaine SaintMichel (St. Michael Fountain), times to more spacious settings. constructed by Gabriel Davioud in

In spite of its indisputable gen- 1855-60. Nine major sculptors participated. Originally, the fountain’s trification and the loss of its former central statue was supposed to identity, the myriad streets surround- depict Napoleon Bonaparte. ing what was the left bank’s true student and intellectual center continues to attract tourists and Parisians who hope to discover, or possibly resurrect, a little of that electric sense of change we read of in Camus, Sartre and Beckett.

Pantheon

When Louis XV recovered from illness in 1744, he was so grateful that he conceived a magnificent church to honor Saint Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris, and to house a reliquary châsse containing her relics. The French architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot planned the church in NeoClassical style. Work began in 1764 and was completed in 1790 under the control of Guillaume Rondelet.

But with the Revolution underway, the church was soon turned into a pantheon -- a monument housing the tombs of France’s great heroes.

Napoleon returned it to the Church in 1806, but it was secularized and then desecularized once more before finally being made a civic building in 1885.

The facade, inspired by the

INFORMATION

Rome Pantheon, has a pediment relief depicting the mother country granting laurels to her great men. The inscription above the entrance reads AUX GRANDS HOMMES LA PATRIE RECONNAISSANTE ( “To the great men, the grateful homeland”).

By burying its great men in the Panthéon, the Nation acknowledges the honour it received from them. As such, interment here is severely restricted and is allowed only by a parliamentary act for “National Heroes”.

Those resting here include Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, Émile Zola, Jean Moulin, Louis Braille, Jean Jaurès, Soufflot (its architect) and the ashes of Pierre and Marie Curie and Andre Malraux.

#1 From 1906 to 1922 the Panthéon was the site of Auguste Rodin’s famous sculpture ‘The Thinker.’

#2 There was widely-repeated, though false, story that the remains of Voltaire were stolen by religious fanatics in 1814 and thrown into a garbage heap.

hours Open daily 10am-6:30pm (last adm 45min before closing)

tickets Regular Rate: 7,50 € Reduced Rate: 4,50 € (Under 25) Tickets can be purchased online in advance.

How to get here Walking from La Sorbonne: Head northwest toward Rue de la Sorbonne and turn left. Continue onto Rue VIctor Cousin. Turn left onto Rue Cujas. Turn right onto Pl. du Pantheon.

Jardin du Luxembourg In 1611, Marie de’ Medici, the widow of Henry IV and the regent for the King Louis XIII decided to build a palace in imitation of the Pitti Palace in her native Florence. She purchased the hotel du Luxembourg (today the Petit-Luxembourg palace) and began constructing the new palace.

She commissioned Salomon de Brosse to build the palace and a fountain.

In 1612 she planted 2,000 elm trees, and directed a series of gardeners to build a park in the style she knew as a child in Florence.

Later monarchs largely neglected the garden. In 1780, Louis XVIII sold the eastern part of the garden for real estate development.

Following the French Revolution, the leaders of the French Directory ex-

panded the garden to forty hectares by confiscating the land of the neighboring religious order of the Carthusian monks.

During and after the July Monarchy of 1848, the park became the home of a large population of statues; first the Queens and famous women of France, lined along the terraces; then, in 1880s and 1890s, monuments to writers and artists, a small-scale model by Bartholdi of his Statue of Liberty and one modern sculpture by Zadkine.

In 1865, during the reconstruction of Paris by Louis Napoleon, the rue Auguste-Comte was extended into the park, cutting off about fifteen hectares, including the old nursery garden.

FUN FACTS

#1 The gardens are featured prominently in Victor Hugo’s novel Les Misérables. It is here that the principal love story of the novel unfolds, as the characters Marius Pontmercy and Cosette first meet.

#2 The central axis of the garden is extended, beyond its wrought iron grill and gates opening to rue Auguste Comte, by the central esplanade of the rue de l’Observatoire, officially the Jardin Marco Polo, where sculptures of the four Times of Day alternate with columns and culminate at the southern end with the 1874 “Fountain of the Observatory”, also known as the “Fontaine des Quatre-Partiesdu-Monde” or the “Carpeaux Fountain”, for its sculptures by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux.

how to get here Walking from Pantheon: Head southwest on Pl. du Pantheon.

Turn right onto Rue Soufflot.

Turn left onto Bd. Saint-Michel.

dining €€ - French, Brasserie Café de l’Empire 17 rue du Bac 10:00 am - 9:00 pm (?)

Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor €€€ - Brunch, cafe Cafe Central 40 rue Cler 10:00 am - 10:00 pm (?)

Price range: €21-40 Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor €€ - French, Brasserie Café Le Pierrot 67 avenue la Motte Picquet 6:30 am - 2:00 am Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor €€ - French Le Roussillon 186 rue Grenelle 9:00 am - 2:00 am Price range: moderate Accepts credit

Seating: indoor/outdoor €€ - Mexican Mexi & Co 10 rue Dante 12:00 pm - 11:00 pm Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor € - Friterie, Burgers De Clercq 184 rue Saint-Jacques 11:00 am - 11:00 pm (Mon-Sat) Price range: under €7 Accepts credit Seating: none €€ - French, Bar Watt 3 rue de Cluny 11:00 am - 7:00 pm 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor €€€ - Cakes Pâtisserie Ciel

3 rue Monge 10:30 am - 11:30 pm (Tue-Sat) Price range: pricey Accepts credit Seating: indoor €€ - French Le Mouffetard 116 rue Mouffetard 10:00 am - 9:00 pm (?)

Price range: €8-20 Accepts credit Seating: indoor/outdoor €€ - Market Le marché Monge Place Monge 7:00 am - 2:30 pm (We,Fr,Su) Price range: moderate Cash only €€ - French, Cafe Le Petit Café 6 rue Descartes 10:30 am - 11:30 pm (?)

Price range: moderate Accepts credit Seating: indoor

app end i x

AMERICAN EMBASSY Rome The U.S. Embassy Consular Section in Rome is located at Via Vittorio Veneto, 121.

The numbers below are provided for U.S. citizens who are distressed and require emergency services such as assistance with the death, arrest, illness, or injury of an American citizen.

Embassy ROME - If you are an American citizen with an after hours emergency and are within the Rome consular district or calling about someone who is in the Rome consular district, please call the switchboard at 06-46741 (from within Italy) or 01139-06-46741 (from the U.S.). The Rome consular district includes the regions of Lazio, Marche, Umbria, Abruzzo, and Sardegna.

U.S. Embassies and Consulates issue passports for emergencies requiring immediate travel.

If your passport was lost or stolen, you are advised to report the loss/theft to the local Italian police in the area in which it occurred. Although filing a police report is advised, it is not a requirement to apply for an emergency passport.

In order to replace the passport, you must apply in person at the appropriate Consular office in your district and submit: -Proof of U.S. citizenship (a certified, sealed birth certificate, Consular Report of Birth Abroad, Certificate of Naturalization or expired U.S. passport) if possible -One valid form of photo identification (e.g. foreign passport, driver’s license, military ID, etc.) if possible -One passport photograph (taken within the last six months); photos can be obtained from a photo booth located in the Consular building of the U.S. Embassy in Rome and the U.S. Consulate General in Milan for 5 euro -Completed form DS-11 and form DS-64 No appointment is required.

Paris The U.S. Embassy Consular Section in Paris is located at American Citizen Services, 4, avenue Gabriel 75008 Paris.

For a death, serious accident or life-threatening health issue of a U.S. citizen in France, or about a missing person or child: Telephone in France 01 43 12 22 22 [then dial 0 (zero) when you hear the automated greeting] From the United States, dial 011 33 1 43 12 22 22 [then 0 when you hear the automated greeting] Note: the time difference between Washington D.C., and Paris, France is + 6 hours (9:00 a.m. EDT is 3:00 p.m. in Paris) The U.S. Embassy will consider your passport application in an emergency situation. We recommend that you make an appointment online.

If you are eligible to apply for an emergency, limited validity passport for imminent travel, please submit all of the following: -Current Passport (if you have it) -Passport application: Do not sign this document in advance. Print one-sided pages only.

-Proof of international travel within the next 10 days -Photo: one current U.S. standard size passport photograph for biometric passports. You may use the embassy photo booth only for emergency, limited validity passports, issued the same day. Please bring 5 euros in coins per photo.

-Social Security number: -Payment: credit card or cash (dollars or euros) to pay the passport fee: $135 or 102 Euros if your passport was lost, stolen, damaged, or mutilated ; $110 or 83 Euros if you can present your current passport.

SURVIVAL ITALIAN Help!

Stop!

Call a doctor.

Call an ambulance.

Call the police.

Call the fire department.

Where is the telephone?

The nearest hospital?

Aiuto!

Fermate!

Chiama un medico.

Chiama un’ambulanza.

Chiama la polizia.

Chiama i pompieri.

Dov’e il telefono?

L’ospedale piu vicino?

Yes/No Please Thank You Excuse me Hello Goodbye Good evening morning afternoon evening yesterday today tomorrow here there What?

When?

Why? Where?

Si/No Per favore Grazie Mi scusi Buon giorno Arrivederci Buona sera la mattina il pomeriggio la sera ieri oggi domani qui la Quale?

Quando?

Perche?

Dove?

How are you?

Very well, thank you.

Pleased to meet you.

See you later.

That’s fine.

Where is/are...?

How long does it take to get to...?

How do I get to...?

Do you speak English?

I don’t understand.

Could you speak more slowly please?

I’m sorry.

Come sta?

Molto bene, grazie.

Piacere di conoscerla.

A piu tardi.

Va bene.

Dov’e/Dove sono?

Quanto tempo ci vuole per andare a...?

Come faccio per arrivare a...?

Parla inglese?

Non capisco.

Puo parlare piu lentamente per favore?

Mi dispiace.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

uno due tre quattro cinque sei sette otto nove dieci undici dodici tredici quattordici quindici sedici diciasette diciotto diciannove venti

big small hot cold good bad enough well open closed left right straight ahead near far up down early late enrance exit restroom (toilet) free, unoccupied free, no charge

grande piccolo caldo freddo buono cattivo basta bene aperto chiuso a sinistra a destra sempre dritto vicino lontano su giu presto tardi entrata uscita il gabinetto libero gratuito

How much does this cost...?

I would like...

Do you have...?

I’m just looking.

Do you take credit cards?

What time do you open/ close? this one that one expensive cheap size, clothes size, shoes white black red yellow green blue

Quant’e, per favore?

one minute one hour Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

un minuto un’ora lunedi martedi mercoledi giovedi venerdi sabato domenica

Vorrei...

Avete...?

Sto soltanto guardando.

Accettate carte di credito?

A che ora apre/chiude? questo quello caro a buon prezzo la taglia il numbero bianco nero rosso giallo verde blu

Do you have a table?

I want to reserve a table.

The check please. waitress/waiter fixed-price menu wine list glass bottle knife fork spoon breakfast lunch dinner main course appetizer, first course dish of the day rare medium well-done

Avete una tavola?

Vorrei riservare una tavola.

Il conto, per favore. cameriera/cameriere il menu a prezzo fisso la lista dei vini il bicchiere la bottiglia il coltello la forchetta il cucchiaio colazione pranzo cena il secondo antipasto, il primo piatto del giorno al sangue al puntino ben cotto

agnello aceto aglio al forno alla griglia l’aragosta arrosto la birra la bistecca il brodo il burro i carciofi carne di maiale i contorni i fagioli il fegato il finocchio il formaggio le fragole il fritto misto i funghi i gamberi il latte lesso il manzo la melanzana la minestra l’olio il pepe la pesca il pomodoro cotto/crudo il riso il sale il tonno l’uovo il vitello le vongole lo zucchero

lamb vinegar garlic baked grilled lobster roasted beer steak broth butter artichokes pork vegetables beans liver fennel cheese strawberries mixed fried dish mushrooms prawns/shrimp milk boiled beef eggplant soup oil bell pepper peach tomato cooked/cured rice salt tuna egg veal clams sugar

SURVIVAL french Help!

Stop!

Call a doctor.

Call an ambulance.

Call the police.

Call the fire department.

Where is the nearest telephone?

The nearest hospital?

Au secours!

Arretez!

Appelez un medecin!

Appelez une ambulance!

Appelez la police!

Appelez les pompiers!

Ou est le telephone le plus proche?

L’hopital le plus proche?

Yes/No Please Thank You Excuse me Hello Goodbye Good evening morning afternoon evening yesterday today tomorrow here there What?

When?

Why? Where?

Oui/Non S’il vous plait Merci Excusez-moi Bonjour Au revoir Bonsoir Le matin L’apres-midi Le soir Hier Aujourd’hui Demain Ici La Quel, quelle?

Quand?

Pourquoi?

Ou?

How are you?

Very well, thank you.

Pleased to meet you.

Comment allez-vous?

Tres bien, merci.

Enchante de faire votre connaisance.

A bientot.

Voila que est parfait.

Ou est/sont...?

Combien de kilometres d’ici a...?

Quelle est la direction pour...?

Parlez-vous anglais?

Je ne comprends pas.

Pouvez-vous parler moins vite s’il vous plait?

Excusez-moi.

See you later.

That’s fine.

Where is/are...?

How long does it take to get to...?

How do I get to...?

Do you speak English?

I don’t understand.

Could you speak more slowly please?

I’m sorry.

Do you have a vacant room? double room, with double bed twin room single room

porter key I have a reservation.

Est-ce que vous avez une chambre? la chambre a deux personnes, avec un grand lit la chambre a deux lits la chambre a une personne la chambre avec salle des bains, une douche le garcon la clef J’ai fait une reservation.

one minute one hour Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

une minute une heure lundi mardi mercredi jeudi vendredi samedi dimanche

room with a bath, shower

big small hot cold good bad enough well open closed left right straight ahead near far up down early late enrance exit restroom (toilet) free, unoccupied free, no charge

grand petit chaud froid bon mauvais assez bien ouvert ferme gauche droit tout droit pres loin en haut en bas de bonne heure en retard l’entree la sortie les toilettes, les WC libre gratuit

How much does this cost...?

I would like...

Do you have...?

I’m just looking.

Do you take credit cards?

What time do you open/ close? this one that one expensive cheap size, clothes size, shoes white black red yellow green blue

C’est combien s’il vous plait?

Je voudrais...

Est-ce que vous avez...?

Je regarde seulement.

Est-ce que vous acceptez les cartes de credit?

A quelle heure vous etes ouvert/ferme? celui-ci celui-la cher pas cher, bon marche la taille la pointure blanc noir rouge jaune vert bleu

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

zero un deux trois quatre cinq six sept huit neuf dix onze douze treize quatorze quinze seize dix-sept dix-huit dix-neuf vingt

Do you have a table?

I want to reserve a table.

menu fixed-price menu cover charge wine list glass bottle knife fork spoon breakfast lunch dinner main course appetizer, first course dish of the day wine bar cafe rare medium well-done

Avez-vous une table libre?

Je voudrais reserver une table.

L’addition s’il vous plait.

Madame, mademoiselle/ monsieur le menu, la carte le menu a prix fixe le couvert la carte des vins le verre la bouteille le couteau la fourchette la cuillere le petit dejeuner le dejeuner le diner le plat principal l’entree, le hors d’oeuvre le plat du jour le bar a vin le cafe saignant a point bien cuit

l’agneau l’ail le beurre la biere a la pression le bifteck, le steack le boeuf bouilli le canard le citron les crevettes les crustaces cuit au four les escargots les frites le fromage le fruit frais les fruits de mer le gateau la glace le homard l’huile le lait le moutarde l’oeuf poche le poisson le poivre la pomme les pommes de terre le potage le poulet roti la saucisse sec le sel la viande

lamb garlic butter beer beer steak beef boiled duck lemon shrimp shellfish baked snails French fries cheese fresh fruit seafood cake ice, ice cream lobster oil milk mustard egg poached fish pepper apple potatoes soup chicken roast sausage dry salt meat

The check please.

Waitress/waiter

TICKETS -5-day pass $67.50 Zone 1-3 Metro & buses -5-day pass $115.73 Zone 1-5 (Versailles & CDG) Metro & buses

TICKETS -B.I.T. € 1.50 (Standard ticket valid for one Metro ride or 75 minutes on all buses) -B.I.G. € 6.00 (Daily ticket valid for unlimited metro, bus, and train travel within Rome) -B.T.I. €16.50 *3-day tourist ticket valid for everything listed under the B.I.G ticket) -C.I.S. €24.00 (Weekly ticket)