Salzburg’s 16th-century sprawling Residenz with 180 rooms and three courtyards housed the city’s archbishops. The original palace was constructed in the 13th century, but was vastly enlarged and renovated later on. The staterooms are crowded with an impressive array of frescos, paintings, fireplaces, stoves and tapestries that represent Renaissance, Classical and – my favorite – […]
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Peterskirche, Salzburg
18th-century St. Peter’s Cemetery fits right into the city’s ornate character. Locals buried here include Mozart’s sister and Haydn’s brother. Up above, 3rd-century inhabitants cut catacombs into the rock. Saint Rupert, a Franconian missionary, came to Salzburg in the 7th century and founded St. Peter’s church and Benedictine monastery. The current Romanesque structure dates from […]
Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière, Lyon, France
Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière sits high atop Fourvière, the steep hill on Lyon’s west side. It’s nicknamed the “upside down elephant.” Fourvière Hill was where the Romans first settled and established a Roman forum and temple. In the 12th century, a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary was built on the hill. In the […]
Les Théåtres Romains, Lyon, France
On our walk back downhill from the basilica, we came upon Les Théåtres Romains. It turns out Lyon’s Roman theater is the oldest in France, dating from 17 BC. When Augustus commissioned the theatre, which would serve as the community’s social center, it was only fitting to erect it on the highest hill, Fourvière, where […]
Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde Marseille, France
This 19th-century Romano-Byzantine basilica, informally known as La Bonne Mère, sits atop Marseille’s highest hill, La Garde, and is visible from almost anywhere in the city. The structure is striking, with colored marble, murals and mosaics, wraparound terraces and a tall Virgin Mary crowning the bell tower. Since Roman times, this site has served as […]
L’abbaye Saint-Victor, Marseille, France
The remains of L’abbaye Saint-Victor, once a prestigious religious center, overlooks the Vieux Port. The abbey was built in the early 5th century on the site where Saint Victor was massacred, and was dismembered in the 18th century. It was secularized, the gold and silver valuables were melted to make coins, the relics were burned […]
Cathédrale Sainte-Marie-Majeure de Marseille, Marseille, France
This monstrosity is Marseille’s cathedral. If it looks a little modern, it’s because it was built during the late-19th century boom. This was built to signify France’s importance as a powerful trading partner with Asia. Built in eye-catching green and white stone stripes and a mix of Romanesque, Byzantine and Gothic styles, the cathedral oozes […]
La Vieille Charité, Marseille, France
We spotted this unique dome and beautifully-colored stone from the street and wandered in to find a bit of calmness. The structure that wraps around the Baroque church was originally designed as an almshouse by Marseille architect Pierre Puget. In the 19th century, it was used as an asylum, then for soldiers and the homeless. […]
Atelier Paul Cézanne, Aix-en-Provence
Here’s another of Cézanne’s workplaces, where he worked every morning from 1902 to his death in 1906. The atelier is seemingly frozen in time, arranged as (the historians and restorers think) he left it. Still-life models such as pottery, vases, bottles and skulls, tools, a jacket and a cherry-picking ladder are on display. Correspondence between […]
Chartreuse du Val de Bénédiction, Villeneuve-lés-Avignon, France
But for the religious requirement and the communal living, this lovely monastery tucked away in quiet Villeneuve-lés-Avignon would have been an appealing place to call home. 13th-century village Villeneuve-lés-Avignon is overshadowed by neighboring Avignon, but its second-rate status ensures quiet streets and a slow pace. In the 14th century, Pope Innocent VI donated some land […]
