In this current blog I am exploring one of the latest iconic projects built in Paris, The Louis Vuitton Foundation Art Museum and Cultural Center, designed by one of the most renowned architects in the world (Frank Gehry); this monumental building made of innovative and complex shapes, it is the perfect example to close this tour in “ the City of Lights“, and introduce the new topic that I want to talk about on the next tours that I will call, Architectural Icons, as instrument for urban and tourism development! The Foundation Louis Vuitton (LVF) made it clear (to me), that cost was not an issue when it comes to representing one of the top luxury [...]

In my list of buildings that have caused controversy in Paris, the Centre Pompidou is the one that has had the most controversy … I intentionally talked about the Louvre renovation project before this one, because in this way it provided me an introduction to the meaning of the modern architecture and modernism represented. It all started when France’s president George Pompidou determined that as part of its government policy  the city of Paris needed to be modernized, and since he was an ardent admirer of contemporary art, in 1971 he decided to start with the idea of creating  a multicultural Art complex, which will include a museum and a library; so, for this purpose an International architectural [...]

Continuing with the list of buildings that have caused controversy in Paris, one must talk about the Louvre Museum latest renovation, which is perhaps the most important one done in this century. However, before talking about this latest renovation, I should briefly touch on the history of this magnificent building, so that you can understand the context in which France viewed this prominent place. The first enclosed construction was a Middle Age Fortress (remnants are visible in the basement of the museum). Then in the 14th century this place became a Royal Palace and part of it was built on top of the old fortress. Later in the 16th century the Louvre Palace had a huge expansion turning [...]

I am going to change a little bit the initial approach I had in my previous post, when I talked about my favorite city “Rome,” to present another facet of this blog that is entitled TOURISM AS A FUNCTION OF HERITAGE. In this way, I will continue to  talk about the architecture of the cities I had visited, but this new tour will be specifically  discuss  their iconic sites, illustrating innovative buildings, that represent a specific architectural style, period, or time; which have been a source of controversy at the beginning but later became a successful projects and important tourist attraction. This approach is something that became a necessary  feature for some of the most visited cities [...]

“Porta del Popolo,” is the next important monument in Piazza del Popolo that I want to talk about in my blog. This porta or gate was built in the 3rd century under the reign of Emperor Aurelian, it was the exit of ancient Rome to the North and it became also the starting point of the Via Flaminia, hence it is also called “Porta Flaminia”. The gate was left abandoned with no maintenance for a long time and parts of it were lost or destroyed. It was until the Jubilee year of 1475 that Pope Sixtus IV decided to restore it. The restoration of exterior façade (North side) of the gate was first commissioned to Michelangelo, who proposed [...]