Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile

Arc de Triomphe with the Le Départ sculpture visible on the right hand facade.

The Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile (Triumphal Arch of the Star) is a must see in Paris.  Even if you don’t climb the 284 steps to the top, strolling up the Champs-Élysées as the 50 meter high French Revolutionary and Napoleonic War memorial comes into ever greater focus is memorable.    … Read the rest

Villa Borghese

Tempio di Esculapio across the lake in Villa Borghese

If there’s one thing Italy does well (after gelato), it’s Villas.  Villa d’Este was a fantastic example of this, Villa Borghese is another.  Whilst the Palazzos and Castellos are interesting and impressive, the villa gives way from the regal, political and military to a more laid back take on Italian lifestyle, architecture and the outdoors, namely a garden. … Read the rest