ART: Florence Museums

The city of Florence is located in the Tuscany Region of central Italy and the cultural and historical impact of the city is overwhelming. The city has many museums, and offers visitors one of the richest cultural experiences in the world.

THE "UFFIZI GALLERY"

The Uffizi Gallery is one of the greatest museums in Europe. The collection of artwork on display there includes paintings by Raphael, Titian and Botticelli. One of the most famous of these is the Birth of Venus, by Sandro Botticelli, which was commissioned by the Medici family in 1482.
Address: Loggiato degli Uffizi, 6
Opening times: Tuesday - Sunday from 8.15 to 19.00
Phone: 055 238 8683
Reservations phone: 055 294 883


THE "ACCADEMY GALLERY"

The ACCADEMY GALLERY is among the very best museums in Florence. "The four prisoners" and the "Pieta of Palestina" some of the famous creations by Michelangelo are available at this museum. Among other things available here is the collection of paintings by the Grand Duke Peter Leopold.

Address: Via Ricasoli, 58-60
Opening times: Tuesday - Sunday from 8.15 to 18.50
Phone: 055 238 8609
Reservations phone: 055 294 883


THE NATIONAL MUSEUM "IL BARGELLO"

One of the oldest buildings in Florence accommodates The NATIONAL MUSEUM "IL BARGELLO". The name BARGELLO is adopted because in earlier times this building was the residence of the "Bargello" (head of police spies). The Bargello is full of famous works of some of the renowned masters like Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, Cellini, Giambologna and Donatello.

Address: Via Del Proconsolo, 4
Opening times: Everyday from 8.15 to 13.50
Phone: 055 238 8606
Reservations phone: 055 294 883


THE MUSEUM OF "SAN MARCO"

MUSEUM OF SAN MARCO can be visited only for its architecture alone. The settings within have been designed in such a way, so as to simplify the monastic life. The museum is decorated with the frescoed interiors and the panels displayed in the large alms-house. The beautiful Last Supper frescoed work of Ghirlandaio and the illuminated manuscripts of the first public library of the Renaissance are the other things available at the museum.

Address: Piazza San Marco 3
Opening times: Monday - Friday from 8.15 to 13.50; Saturday and Sunday from 8.15 to 18.50
Phone: 055 238 8608
Reservations phone: 055 294 883


THE MUSEUM OF THE "CATHEDRAL"

Artworks from the Gothic Cathedral, the Baptisty and the Tower of Giotto (campanile) are the main attractions of The MUSEUM OF THE CATHEDRAL. The museums also house some of the most famous creations by Michelangelo, Donatello, Arnolfo di Cambio and Luca Della Robbia.

Address: P.za Duomo
Opening times: Monday - Friday from 8.15 to 13.50; Saturday and Sunday from 8.15 to 18.50
Phone: 055 230 2885


THE MUSEUM OF THE "HISTORY OF THE SCIENCE"

Items on display there include early telescopes, clocks, watches, compasses and other instruments invented by the Italian scientist Galileo Galilei. The museum has a large exhibition of extinct animals and birds. The museum also has a collection of extremely lifelike human wax figures.

Address: Piazza SS. Annunziata, 12
Phone: 055 249 1708
Opening hours: Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Tuesdays and Saturdays 9:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Evening Openings
last Thursday of June and August
first Thursday of July and September 9:00 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.

ART: Louvre, Orsay & Pompidou

The Louvre Museum - Paris

The Louvre Museum is the largest museum of France, houses collections of western art from the middle Ages to 1850. This museum also houses the antique civilizations divided in to eight departments: Oriental Antiquities, Islamic Art, Egyptian Antiquities, Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities. A section here is devoted to history of the Louvre which includes the medieval moats erected by Philippe Auguste in 1190.

Address: Cour Napoleon, A.P. 34, 36 quai du Louvre
Opening hours: Open: Museum: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. - Pyramid: 9 a.m.-10 p.m. - Museum late night opening: Monday (Richelieu Wing) and Wednesday: 9.45 p.m. Closed: Tuesday and holidays.
Phone: +33 (0)1 40 20 53 17


The Orsay Museum - Paris

The French government, on the eve of the 1900 World's Fair planned to build a central terminus on the site of the ruined Palais d'Orsay. Orsay station was the head of the southwestern French railroad network, from 1900 to 1939 and in 1977 the official decision to build the Musée d'Orsay was taken. This Paris museum shows the artistic creation of the western world from 1848 to 1914.

Address : 62, rue de Lille
Opening hours : The museum is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 9.30am to 6pm and on Thursdays from 9.30am to 9.45pm
Phone : +33 (0)1 40 49 48 14

The Centre Pompidou - Paris

The Centre Pompidou, also called Beaubourg, took birth in February 1977 to focus on all forms of modern and contemporary creation: sculpture, painting, books, cinema, video, performances, music, etc. The museum holds performances (theater, dance, and music), cinema, symposia and debates, and publications.

Address: Place Georges Pompidou
Opening hours: The Centre Pompidou is open every day from 11am to 10pm, except Tuesdays and May 1.
Phone: Standard: +33 (0)1 44 78 12 33 (recorded message, Sundays and public holidays, and from 7.30pm)

ART: Barcelona FC Museum

If you are a fan of football and interested in its history then the Barcelona FC Museum is the right destination for you. In 1920s club founder Joan Gamper dreamed of setting up a museum in Barcelona, but he didn’t succeed due to numerous reasons. In 1984, Joan Gamper’s dream became a reality, when President Joseph Luis Nunez was the head of the club. The museum was expanded in 1987, 1994 and 1998, now it is spread over a vast area of about 3500 sq. meters. This is the best museum in the world pertaining to the game of football. Yearly visitors to this museum are in excess of 1,160,000 and all around the world a number of such museums take ideas from this museum.

A visit to the museum takes you through to the four main sections of the museum and to the beautiful Nou Camp stadium itself. The club is almost a century old and the museum houses the numerous trophies won by the club, a series of photographs, sporting gears, a large number of objects and also hosts audiovisual shows taking you through the great history of the club.

Col·lecció Futbolart by Pablo Ornaque, arguably one of the best individual collection of football history is permanently leased to the museum. This collection exhibits the football history right from its origin to the present day. In the other part of the museum there is ‘The Art Gallery’, which houses the work of the famous artists of the country like Dali, Miro, and Tapies. Temporary exhibtions are also organized on the premises which are devoted to the history of poster art pertaining to the club.

If you wish to research the history of the club, a visit to ‘The FC Barcelona Center for Documentation and Studies’, which is housed at the second floor of the museum, will be of great help. Newspaper and periodicals section, a library, historic archives and a photographic archive are the four main sections of this Center. This Center is full of the cultural heritage of the club.

A special tour called the Camp Nou tour gives you the chance to get familiar with the stadium. The tour takes you to the opposition changing rooms, through the tunnel to the main pitch area, the TV studio, the press rooms and the director’s area. This Barcelona tour gives you a chance to see the new dugouts across the stadium. The tour also gives a chance to enjoy a panoramic view of the magnificent stadium and various FC Barcelona facilities.

ART: Paris Champs Elysées

The Champs-Elysées, means for the French "La plus belle avenue du monde". It starts from the Place de la Concorde and runs up to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. This is where some of the most significant events of the year are held: New Year’s Eve gathering, 14th July military parade and the arrival of the Tour de France cycling race. The Champs-Elysées is at the center of Parisian life and the walk from the Champs-Elysées Clemenceau to the Etoile Charles de Gaulle metro stations are a perfect introduction to the city. Here you can find people from all over the world in shops, theaters and in restaurants.

The Champs-Elysées are 2 Km long and 80 meters wide. At the top of Champs-Elysées is The Arc de Triomphe, which was completed in 1836. This arc is a memorial of the soldiers killed in World War I and there is one permanently burning flame in the memory of those killed in the war. Here you’ll find the Tricolor hoisted at the arc. In French they call it “Les Champ” and it’s the most fashionable and luxurious area in Paris.

The season of Christmas starting from December and up to January with numerous illuminations is one of the most coveted times on the Champs Elysées.

The Champs-Elysées is the home of some of the very best cinemas, car showrooms, cafes, restaurants and beauty salons. If you’re missing your films then UGC and Gaumont, the two biggest French film distributors, screen a vide range of international films along The Champs-Elysées.

The Champs-Elysées also houses Citroën, Mercedes and Peugeot showrooms. Cafes and restaurants like Planet Hollywood, Häagen-Dazs ice-creams , the gigantic Pizza Pino ,the Copenhague Nordic restaurant ,the Brasserie Lowenbrau with its Bavarian orchestra ,the Chez Clément ,Batifol and Bistro de la Gare are some of the international cafes and restaurants available on the Champs.

ART: Paris Museums

French capital Paris houses some of the greatest museums and galleries. Below you’ll find some of our favourites.

ARTS ET METIERS, Musee des (history of science and technology)
Over 80,000 items are placed at this museum pertaining to the history of science. There is a huge collection of items from Renaissance Italy, China, Japan and US. This museum is an interesting place to visit for the children also.
Address: 60 rue Réaumur, Métro : Arts et Métiers
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 10.00 to 18.00
Telephone.: +33 (0)1 53 01 82 00

BALZAC, Maison de (life and work in the home of Honoré de Balzac)
This is the place where Balzac lived and worked passionately on his masterpiece la Comédie humaine. Balzac hides himself here from blood-hungry money Landers from 1840-1847 and to cheat them he adopted a false name: M. De Breugnol.
Address: 47, rue Raynouard
Opening hours: 10 a.m.-5.40 p.m. 
Closed: Monday, bank holidays
Phone: +33 (0) 42 24 56 38

CAMONDO, Musee Nissim de (home, art and objects of banker Nissim de Camondo)
This is a three story mansion mostly houses the 18th-century French furniture. Rococo items, some of them belonging to the famous names of that era, like Madame de Pompadour and Marie Antoinette, are housed in the rooms. In the grand salon a beautiful portrait of a woman by Vigee-Leburn is placed.
Address: 63 rue de Monceau, 8e Arrondissement
Opening hours: Wed-Sun 10am-5:30pm
Phone : +33 (0) 53-89-06-40

CARNAVALET, Musee (history of the City of Paris)
On display at this marvelous museum are the grandeur, the esteem, the innovation, the brilliance, the blood, sweat, and tears of Parisian history from prehistory to the 20th century. This museum is having more than 140 rooms, and houses a huge range of objects of archeology, painting, sculpture and furniture.
Address: 23, rue de Sévignee, 3rd Arrondissement.
Opening hours: 10h - 17h40; Closed Mondays and public holidays
Phone : +33 (0) 42 72 41 13

PICASSO, Musee National (work of painter Pablo Picasso in a hotel particular)
The museum repeats the truth that Picasso was part of each notable art work during his lifetime. The two floors of the museum contain the numerous work of Picasso.
Address: Hotel Sale, 5, rue de Thorigny.
Opening hours 9.45 a.m. - 5 p.m. Closed Tuesday's and New Years Day
Phone : +33 (0) 42 71 25 21

DELACROIX, Musee Eugene (home and studio of painter Eugene Delacroix)
Delacroix was the home and studio of the great French painter Eugene Delacroix, where he spent his last years (1857-1863). The museum has been arranged very smartly. One can find there the biblical sights and pastels of inland scenery.
Address: 6, rue de Furstenberg.
Opening hours: Winter: 9.30 a.m.-5.30 p.m. - Summer 9.30 a.m.-6 p.m. Clsoed Tuesday’s and New Years Day
Phone : +33 (0) 43 54 04 87

JACQUEMART-ANDRE, Musee (spectacular home and art collection of famous couple)
The couple Jacquemart-Andrés spent a lot of money on the wealth that decorate the museum today. Passing through the marble hall and meticulously arranged courtyard, one can imagine the things ahead. Paintings of the famous French painters of the 17th and 18th centuries, like Boucher, Chardin, Drouais, Fragonard, and Greuze adorn the salons. The salon de thé is absolutely the marvel.
Address: 158 Bd Haussmann, metro Miromesnil
Opening hours: Everyday 10h-18h
Phone : +33 (0) 45 62 11 59