Museums, Aix-en-Provence

Avignon has a magnficent urban landscape. The Rocher des Doms overlooks the city and the Rhône. Here there is an exceptional architectural group which includes the Pont d'Avignon (also known as Pont Saint Bénezet, the Ramparts, the Petit Palais, the Doms Cathedral and the massive walls of the Palace of the Popes, with four impressive towers in each corner. This unique architectural ensemble has been ranked as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The biggest Gothic palace in the world: tour 24 rooms! Museum space, priceless frescoes. Audioguide in 11 languages http://www.avignon-tourisme.com/Monuments-et-Patrimoine-culturel/AVIGNON/fiche-4615596-2.html

The architects Elisabeth and Christian de Porzamparc won the 2012 international competition for the design of a building worthy of its exceptional position. Facing the Roman amphitheatre, the Museum of Romanity will set up a perfect dialogue with the Roman town. http://www.ot-nimes.fr/index.php?id=824&L=1

The Annonciade Museum recalls that the village of Saint-Tropez was one of the most active homes of the pictorial avant-garde in the early twentieth century, thanks to Paul Signac who discovered in 1892, the small port of fishermen aboard his yacht the Olympia. http://www.sainttropeztourisme.com/fr/explorer/musees-lieux-remarquables/musee-de-l-annonciade/

The Castre Museum is located on the Suquet hill, dominating the city of Cannes. From the top of the medieval tower the views across the bay and the Lerins islands are fantastic and not to be missed! Inside the castle and the nearby chapel is a brilliant collection of paintings, art and archaeological artefacts. The Castre Museum is home to a wide collection of antiquities, particularly from the Mediterranean and the Middle East. The 11th-century Saint Anne Chapel houses a remarkable collection of musical instruments from Asia, Africa, America and Oceania. A few rooms dedicated to 19th-century Provencal paintings of Riviera landscapes open out onto the courtyard and a square tower displaying spectacular views. It is surrounded by a beautiful Mediterranean garden with pine trees. https://www.seecannes.com/museums/castre-museum-cannes-657759

The Fabre museum itself is an astounding work of art, an innovative combination of classic and contemporary architecture. Today, the museum offers over 800 works, 900 engravings and 3,500 drawings in its 9,200 m² exhibit area. http://www.montpellier-france.com/offre/fiche/fabre-museum/PCULAR0340000045

Situated on La Croisette, La Malmaison now hosts three major exhibitions annually. It regularly pays tribute to renowned painters such as Matisse, Ozenfant and Picasso, for whom the French Riviera was an infinite source of inspiration, in addition to internationally renowned 20th- and 21st-century artists such as Miró and César. http://www.cannes-destination.com/Cannes/PCUPACA06V500386/Centre-d%27art-la-Malmaison

“If you want to see the Picassos of Antibes, you must come to Antibes to see them.” It is a new museum that the public will discover after two years of works, more accessible, easier to visit and providing better preservation conditions for the works displayed. http://www.antibesjuanlespins.com/en/art-et-culture/picasso-museum

The National Marc Chagall museum, was created by the artist's will to bring together in one purpose-built place his most important biblical works : the 17 paintings which make up the Biblical Message. The permanent collection is the biggest public collection of works by Marc Chagall. It is organized around the set of works produced by the painter on the Old Testament themes, supplemented by a large number of works of secular or religious inspiration: over 400 painting, gouaches, drawings, wash drawings and pastels. The museum offers the visitor a first room containing twelve large-size paintings illustrating the first two books of the Old Testament, Genesis and Exodus. In a second, smaller hexagonal room are five compositions on the theme of the Song of Songs, another Old Testament book. Audio-guides in French, English, German, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Chinese and Spanish . http://en.nicetourisme.com/nice/183-musee-national-marc-chagall

An exceptional example of civil baroque architecture, the Palais Lascaris is a recognised Musée de France, devoted to the art and music of the 17th and 18th centuries. http://en.nicetourisme.com/nice/53-palais-lascaris

Boasting a rare and important collection of fossils and excavated treasures originating from the Principality and nearby regions, this museum retraces some of the most significant milestones in the history of humans. http://www.visitmonaco.com/us/Places-to-visit/Museums

Monaco’s Naval Museum is the result of one man’s passion. From a very early age, Professor Claude Pallanca dreamed of sailing and meticulously built model ships. During his military service, he was assigned to the Jeanne d’Arc as a dental surgeon, where he established friendships with many sailors and naval officers, and his passion for boats and the sea grew. https://www.visitmonaco.com/us/place/museums/145/naval-museum#

The Museum, of contemporary design, houses rare stamps depicting the Principality’s postal history, as well as all the documents which have been used in the stamp-printing process from the first Charles III stamp in 1885 to the present day. The Museum of Philately and Coinage is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm (6 pm in July and August). It sells currently available stamps and coins issued by the Principality. https://www.visitmonaco.com/us/place/museums/90/museum-of-stamps-and-coins

The Prince's Palace is the private residence of the ruling Prince but the State Apartments are open for public visits part of the year. The original fortress and ramparts were built by the Genoese in 1215 and throughout the centuries was transformed into one of the most luxurious residences in the style of Louis XIV. Prince Honore II was responsible for re-assembling the rich collections of art, which had been auctioned off during the French Revolution when the Palace was turned into a hospital for the Italian Army. However, Prince Rainier III is credited for restoring the Palace to its former glory and the magnificent state in which it can be seen today. Beginning at the top of the Hercule Gallery and descending on to the main courtyard is a spectacular double-revolution Carrera marble staircase dating from the 13th century and inspired by a similar staircase at the Chateau of Fontainebleau. Adorning the gallery walls are frescoes of mythological figures attributed to Francesco Mazzucchelli dating from the 16th century and the Genovese artist Orazio Ferrari in the 17th century. The frescoes in the Palatine chapel in the north end of the main courtyard depict the history of Saint Devote, the patron Saint of the Principality. The chapel, built-in 1665, is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. http://www.palais.mc/en/museum-and-visits/the-state-apartments-1-26.html

Boasting world-renowned expertise, the Museum presents more than 6000 specimens in their faithfully reconstructed natural habitat. Come and discover the amazing species of the Mediterranean, the incredible diversity of the inhabitants of the coral reef and the monumental Shark Lagoon, all under the same roof. From the highly colourful tropical zone to the spellbinding charm of the Mediterranean section, the Oceanographic museum invites you to observe the underwater world in all its authenticity. The one hundred or so pools, ranging in size from 100 to 450,000 litres, are home to several thousand fish specimens, more than 200 species of invertebrates and around one hundred species of hard and soft corals. https://www.oceano.mc/en/aquariums/our-aquariums

Created in 1897 following the meeting of the collections of the city and the Société dunoise of history and archeology, this museum of France houses eclectic collections: https://www.tourisme-chateaudun.fr/le-musee-p12.html

Created in 1798, the Grenoble Museum of Art lets you travel through eight uninterrupted centuries of Western art, and includes world-class works for each period. https://www.grenoble-tourisme.com/en/discover/essentials/grenoble-museum-art/

In the centre of Millau, a town hotel from the 18th century houses the museum: 30 exposition rooms dedicated to palaeontology, prehistory and regional archaeology, as well as traditional activities of leather craft and glove-making. Palaeontology: diverse fossils including the famous skeleton of an elasmosaur. Pre-history: furniture from the palaeolithic to the monolithic. Archaeology: the most important collection of vases from the Roman Empire with the production of the Graufesenque workshops. Leather and gloves: a DVD film retraces the specific savoir-faire, rich of ancestral traditions and modern techniques enabling skins to be worked on. A recreated workshop shows how gloves were made. Free for the individuals the first Saturday of the month. https://www.tourisme-aveyron.com/en/diffusio/sites-visit/musee-de-millau-et-des-grands-causses-millau_TFO18801517986

The Museum of Antiquities consists of several sections: the New Channel, with the Archeology exhibition in Turin and the Marengo Treasure Halls; the Territory, dedicated to the archeology of Piedmont and the "Exhibitions on the catwalk"; the Collections, the "historical" nucleus of the Museum and location of the setting up of the Papyrus of Artemidorus. The underground floor of the Manica Nuova of Palazzo Reale has been the venue since 2013 for the renewed display of the Marengo Treasury and the Archeology exhibition in Turin which presents the city's archaeological materials, originating from the collections of the sixteenth-century scholars, increased by the antiquaries of the following centuries and merged into the royal collections, together with the new acquisitions resulting from recent archaeological excavations. The section connects with the archaeological area of ​​the Roman theater which partially contains and overlooks it. http://www.museireali.beniculturali.it/index.php/it/il-complesso/museo-archeologico

In 1563, with the transfer of the ducat's capital from Chambéry to Turin, Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy established his residence in the palace of the bishop at the Duomo; already in 1584, Carlo Emanuele I entrusted the architect Ascanio Vittozzi with the construction of a new factory. After 1643, with the regency of Maria Cristina of France, the direction of the work passed to Carlo di Castellamonte and then to Carlo Morello. http://www.museireali.beniculturali.it/index.php/it/il-complesso/palazzo-reale

The Museum inherited over two million pieces collected from the 16th century through today. Referred to as “the 21st Century’s Cabinet of Curiosities,” the institution’s finds relate to paleontology, mineralogy, zoology, entomology, and ethnography. http://ca.france.fr/en/discover/musee-confluences-lyon-0

The paintings and ceramics make this museum a splendid panoramic survey of European art from the 17th century to the present day. Educational tours throughout the school year. http://www.tourism-carcassonne.co.uk/detail/007a1d2be4f167c8e8cdfe8407287873/358254

The Museum of Gallo-Roman Civilisation astounds the visitor with its avant-garde architecture and carefully-chosen exhibits, nudging you to uncover more of what Lyon’s Roman, Gaul and Celtic forebears got up to. Facing the rising sun and the Alps, way up over the Confluence of Rhône and Saône, the Museum of Gallo-Roman Civilisation chronicles five centuries of the city’s history under Rome when Lyon was known as the dazzling capital Lugdunum. Dug deep inside Fourvière hill in the 5th district of Lyon, with its two huge windows overlooking its neighbouring Amphitheatre and Odeon, the Gallo-Roman Museum of Lyon is akin to a submarine, set to journey through the undergrowth and vestiges of this ancient civilisation. Step on-board and be subtly wowed by polychrome mosaics, the sarcophagus of the triumph of Bacchus, the unique Gallic Coligny calendar, a plan-relied of the ancient town, a rare circus mosaic, not to mention the Tabla Claudiana, reproducing a speech by the emperor Claudius, all set inside an avant-garde architectural experience whipped up by Bernard Zehrfuss. https://thisislyon.fr/things-to-do/museums/museum-gallo-roman-civilisation/

The Museum of Fine Arts is one of the largest French and European museums. Located in the heart of Lyon, between the Rhône and Saône rivers, it is found in a magnificent building dating from the 17th century. The collections are exhibited in over 70 rooms and offer visitors an outstanding sample of art from antiquity to contemporary art. The museum is regularly enriched, through an active acquisition policy that relies on donors, art lovers, collectors and the descendants of artists. http://www.mba-lyon.fr/mba/sections/languages/welcome

Place des Terreaux was once a huge bog, believe it or not. Today, the famous Lyonnais landmark deserves a visit, either as a starting point to explore the presqu’île and the City Hall area, or as a beautifully-constructed square to while away the hours. Place des Terreaux is a famous Lyonnais square, grand and grey. It’s a perfect rectangle in fact, located in the 1st district of Lyon inside the peninsular or ‘presqu’île’ between the Rhône and Saône rivers, at the foot of the Croix-Rousse hill. It’s a Lyon landmark and a UNESCO heritage site, the place to meet, inside which you can sip beer in the outdoor cafés, perch on the steps of the Fine Arts Museum and observe the Bartholdi fountain, or pop into the beautiful City Hall to pay new mayor Mr Képénikian a visit. https://thisislyon.fr/things-to-do/historical-monuments/place-des-terreaux-and-hotel-de-ville/

It may seem strange entitle a museum to a stone, but a visit to the Ecomuseo della Pietra da Cantoni clarifies why this unique material is so important to the Monferrato’s culture. http://www.monferratodelights.com/blog/ecomuseum-pietra-da-cantoni/

On display in Palazzo Rosso, a noble residence decorated with valuable furnishings and frescoes by Liguria's greatest painters of the 17th Century, is a rich gallery of paintings, collected over more than two centuries by the noble Brignole-Sale family. http://www.visitgenoa.it/en/strada-nuova-museums-palazzo-rosso

The Vieille-Ville is the largest historic town in Switzerland, and is dominated by St. Peter's Cathedral, the symbolic location of the Reformation. Climb the 157 steps to the top of the tower for a unique panorama of the city. Then take a stroll in the charming surrounding alleys and passageways, each telling its own story about Geneva's history. https://www.geneve.com/en/attractions/the-old-town-and-its-treasures/

The Parks of Nervi are an important historical/nature complex formed from the combination of several gardens that once belonged to private villas: Villa Gropallo, Villa Saluzzo Serra, and Villa Grimaldi Fassio. Today, these villas belong to the City of Genoa and have been transformed into museums. http://www.visitgenoa.it/en/parchi-di-nervi-gropallo-serra-grimaldi-and-luxoro-villas

Walking on the moon, stepping aboard the Mir Space Station, gazing at the Ariane 5 rocket, dreaming with your head in the stars… You can do all of this at the Cité de l’Espace, a short hop from the centre of Toulouse. The Cité offers 2,500m² of interactive exhibitions to help you become an expert on the Earth and the Universe as you learn everything about space flight and even find out how to predict the weather. You can train like a genuine astronaut thanks to the moonwalk simulator and explore the life of astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Try on a space suit, jump into a lunar rover… Its 5 hectares of gardens, which are home to life-sized replicas of spacecraft and a giant telescope, its IMAX® cinema with giant screen, its interactive planetarium and countless activities for young and old alike make this journey into outer space even more fun. https://www.toulouse-visit.com/cite-de-l-espace/toulouse/loimid031fs00969

A short hop from the Pont Neuf, a monumental stone doorway hides a masterpiece of the Classical Renaissance. You can even take tea here in the summer, if you are brave enough to face the lions and warriors… The sumptuous courtyard of honour is the backdrop for two façades punctuated by antique columns and linked by a stairway tower. Everything matches the level of ambition of the man that commissioned it, Pierre d’Assézat, merchant and Capitoul of Toulouse, who made his fortune from pastel in the XVI Century. Bequeathed to the city in 1895, it was then home to the academies and learned societies where the Floral Games were created in 1323. It was this exceptional venue that was selected by the Argentine Georges Bemberg in which to display his collection of art, which you can explore at the foundation that shares his name. Beneath the loggia, you can quench your thirst as you contemplate the courtyard and façades of the most beautiful Renaissance mansion house of Toulouse. https://www.toulouse-visit.com/hotel-d-assezat/toulouse/pcumid031v5015wt

A museum rich in sculptures, the Musée des Augustins has a unique collection of Roman sculptures and also masterpieces from the area’s Gothic era as well as numerous 19th Century sculptures representing the vitality of Toulouse’s artistic creation. http://www.toulouse-visit.com/offre/fiche/patrimoine-culturel/musee-des-augustins-musee-des-beaux-arts/PCUMID031FS00061

In Toulouse there is no Mairie, but rather a majestic Capitole! An emblematic building, it is home to the town hall, a theatre and rooms of state where you can bump into celebrities from the city. The seat of municipal power since its construction, commissioned by the Capitouls in the XII Century, transformed and embellished in every era, La Capitole shows its majestic Neo-Classical façade to the unmistakable square that shares its name. Its walls could tell of the great moments in the history of Toulouse: from the Cathar episode to the creation of the Floral Games, from the Counts of Toulouse to the siege of the city. On the first floor, you cross magnificent reception rooms that are decorated with the Allegories of Love by Paul Gervais, 10 giant canvases by Henri Martin and, notably, the Salle des Illustres whose paintings retrace the history of Toulouse and whose busts bring back to life the personalities that have defined the city. https://www.toulouse-visit.com/le-capitole-hotel-de-ville/toulouse/pcumid031fs000a3

This museum that brings together works from the Renaissance and Impressionist masterpieces can be found in the most beautiful mansion house of the city: a feast for the eyes. This foundation housed in the Hôtel d’Assézat and created by Argentinian collector Georges Bemberg brings together numerous works of western art from the Renaissance to the early XX Century. In the Renaissance-style salons, the first floor brings back to life the interiors of different eras by combining period furniture, tableaux and objet d’art. The 2nd floor is given over to modern paintings and it is important not to miss the 35 tableaux by post-impressionist Bonnard. Among the artists on display we find Guardi, Cranach the Elder, Veronese, Titian, Fantin-Latour… In order to fully appreciate this visit, lift your gaze and admire the well-preserved XVI Century ceiling on the 1st floor. https://www.toulouse-visit.com/fondation-bemberg/toulouse/pcumid031fs0004c