Page 12 - Mediterraneo e dintorni - nr 25

In the footsteps of the french revolutIon
A trip to that paris marked by an event, a place and
a date: the taking of the Bastille on 14 July 1789, a
watershed between the modern and contemporary ages
Among the European cities rich in historical evidence, the
one that holds indelible memories of its bloody past is
undoubtedly Paris. No one could ever imagine that an elegant
square in the heart of the Ville Lumière was actually the scene
of the most brutal violence of the French Revolution. The first
place for those wishing to know the revolutionary period is the
Musée Carnavalet, located in one of the oldest neighborhoods
in Paris, the Marais. This extraordinary place, which became
a museum in 1880, houses several collections that trace the
evolution of the city from Prehistory to the present day and are
preserved in a hundred rooms richly decorated with furnishings
and works of art dating back to different eras. It almost seems
to be catapulted into the daily and intellectual life of the past
and to be able to see Marcel Proust in his bedroom at any
moment, or Madame de Sévigné sitting at her desk, intent on
writing her famous correspondence. The spaces dedicated to
the Revolution include truly interesting memorabilia such as,
for example, a model of the Bastille carved in an original stone
block of the ancient prison, as well as guillotine models made of
human bones, Phrygian caps, weapons, numerous paintings by
important politicians such as Robespierre, Danton, Marat and
Mirabeau and even locks of hair of King Louis XVI and Queen

Cortile interno Musée Carnavalet

Una sala riccamente arredata del Musée Carnavalet

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