Paris1972-Versailles2003

This is another wonderful spot of my beautiful Morbihan, not far from home and we love it. I  will update this older post for you and me. Let me tell you a bit about the Citadel of Port Louis. This is easily reach from my house on road D781 coming from Etel or on the national road N165 direction Hennebont, then Port Louis. You can come by train to the station in Lorient then bus to Port Louis, TGV service from Paris Montparnasse. You can make it by boat from Lorient,as well.  The parking is easy at the entrance to the Grande Rue or by the Pointe harbor area. There is also plenty of parking by the Citadel.

The Citadel is a marvel of Vauban fortifications, and the guard fortress to the city, famous for its trade with the Indies in America. The first company of trade was done here, and the museum inside the Citadel today tells you of this wonderful period. The  Citadelle de Port-Louis was built in the 16C by the Spanish and modified in the 17C by the French.

The Citadel is rebuilt between 1618 and 1621, when Louis XIII decided to give Port-Louis the status of royal city. The present appearance of the citadel dates from this period and despite appearances, Vauban  only did  the buildings built in the barnyard (arsenal and ball park) at a later date. The citadel will be used for the defense of the harbor, then it will be assigned to the surveillance of the maritime traffic. The last soldiers leave the premises in 2007.

Really ,the main urge to come here is the citadel and its museum of the Indies, which covers more of the compagnie des  indies épisodes to far régions such as Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The museum  of the Marine is a wonderful recollection of the seafaring French/Breton and its seafaring skills. It is an impressive fortress and must visit if in the area.

You can, also, see the Grand Poudriére (built 1750-1752) or big powder house, to keep that old ammunition all along the ramparts leading to the citadelle. See also, the fountain de Recollets.

A bit of history of Port Louis I like

The city which was formerly called Blavet and its citadel are renamed Port Louis in 1618 on a the Royal decision. Port-Louis, or Porzh Loeiz in Breton, recalls the name of the Kings of France and thus marks their suzerainty on this port which was long a Spanish fortress. The city is occupied by the Spaniards from 1590, the Duke of Mercœur, in a first time alliance with king Felipe II (Philip II) , having delivered them thereafter, Don Juan del Aguila defended it and built fortifications there. The name of the new stronghold is given to him as Fuerte del Aguila (Fort de L’Aigle or Fort of the Eagle). The Citadel was half dismantled at the beginning of the 17C, the Spaniards having evacuated the territory. The current name of Port-Louis, dating from 1618, is given in honor of King Louis XIII who wanted to make it a fortified city completed in 1642, the Citadel of Port-Louis is the key element of the defence of the harbour. Under the French revolution, the town provisionally carries the names of Port-de-l’Égalité and Port-Liberté.

The local Lorient south Brittany tourist office on the Citadel: https://www.lorientbretagnesudtourisme.fr/fr/immanquables/port-louis/citadelle-de-port-louis/

The town of Port Louis on its museums in the Citadel: https://www.ville-portlouis.fr/64-decouverte/488-cite-d-art-et-de-patrimoine/297-les-musees-de-la-citadelle.html

The city of Lorient on the Indies museum in the citadel : https://musee.lorient.bzh/musee/

The National Naval museum in the citadel: https://www.musee-marine.fr/musee-national-de-la-marine-port-louis

There you go folks, another dandy for sure and a beautiful beach just behind the citadel to see in my other posts on Port Louis. Hope you enjoy the post on the Citadel of Port Louis !! 

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

Going in my road warrior down to pretty Pyrénées Atlantiques dept 64 of the Nouvelle Aquitaine region of my belle France. This was a pleasant surprise passing by we saw  a tower and decided to come in closer. We found the Château of Montaner in almost ruins but still very much alive.

Let me update this older post for you and me. In direction Morlaàs (see post) we passed by an old castle where winding roads needed to be taken up the road D7 and then D62. this is in ruins but the tower is in excellent shape rides and chivarly or knights contests for kids was very colorful. This is the Château de Montaner. It is located in the extreme east of the department, 25 km from Pau. The town is bordering the Occitanie region and the department of Hautes-Pyrénées.

Montaner owes its name to a lord named Aner who chose to settle there in the 8C. In 1370, Gaston Fébus made it a strategic place on the borders of Béarn facing Bigorre and Armagnac. He built a fortress overlooking the Adour valley. Gaston Fébus had understood the strategic interest of this territory whose eminences overhang the Adour valley, Bigorre , Armagnac and neighboring Béarn. The donjon of the count and viscount of Foix-Béarn thus dominates today this town with the fragmented territory. It extends over three hills and has several hamlets.

The Castle of Montaner was built in the 14C by Sicard de Lordat at the request of Gaston Fébus to protect the borders of Béarn against Bigorre and Armagnac. It includes a large polygonal enclosure pierced by two gates and bristling with a high square dungeon and the gate of the dungeon which is still today, the fortress is surmounted by the coat of arms Foix-Béarn, itself wearing the formula “Febus me fe”, or “Fébus me”. Since 1854, the castle is kept and managed by the general council of Pyrénées-Atlantiques. In summer, there are many shows and events on the theme of the Middle Ages. The new tour offers a complete immersion in medieval times. A journey rich in emotions mixing past and virtual reality around the emblematic character of Gaston Fébus. With its new scenography, you will travel in the history and traditions of the 14C. You will discover the secrets of the construction of the castle, you will dive into the life of Gaston Fébus and the great courts of Europe of the 14C.

The official Château de Montaner : https://www.chateau-montaner.com/2021/10/20/incontournable-chateau-de-montaner/

The official Friends of the Château de Montaner : http://www.chateau-montaner.info/

The local Vic Montaner tourist office on the castle: https://www.tourisme-vic-montaner.com/patrimoine-historique/chateau-de-montaner.html

There you go folks, a nice stop as we arrive at the Château de Montaner when the jousting games were going on on horseback and was very nice. We did climb the tower on a big effort indeed but nice views over the valley below and the town. All a good stop on our road warrior trips in the Pyrénées Atlantiques dept 64.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

So now I come to you to update this all inclusive post and splitting them on its own as the museums merit it. I have seen some but not all, too many lol! I will post the ones I know, small,off the beaten paths museums, starting with the Historical Museum of the Grenadiers of Sardinia in Rome ! Hope you enjoy it as I.

The Historical Museum of the Grenadiers of Sardinia ( Museo storico dei Granaliere di Sardegna )is located in Piazza Santa Croce in Gerusalemme 7 in Rome.This is a military museum but can be visited on its 15 rooms;nice.

The idea of ​​collecting all the historical finds of the grenadiers of Sardinia came in 1899 to the commander of the Secondo Vandero regiment, when the unit was stationed in Piacenza. The following year Colonel Cesare Confalonieri had the same idea and built it in the new Parma office. With the transfer of the brigade to Rome, the two collections were reunited  in 1903 in some rooms of the Ferdinando di Savoia barracks at Termini train Station. Already in 1912, due to the quantity of materials collected, it was deemed appropriate to find a new layout for the museum and the Umberto I barracks in Piazza Santa Croce in Gerusalemme was suggested as a new location.

The museum is divided into 15 rooms containing weapons of various origins, both Italian and foreign, as well as photographic material relating to WWI, the reasons for the awarding of gold medals for military valor given to grenadiers, plans of the places where they fought, flags and personal items donated by grenadiers themselves or their families. Also on the walls are engraved with gold letters the names of 8,500 grenadiers fallen in all the wars. The itinerary develops illustrating the most significant periods in the history of the military body, starting from its foundation in 1659 until 1870. It continues in the historical memories of the colonial wars of Eritrea (1896) and Libya (1911-1912), while the arms room preserves examples of weapons taken from the enemy during WWI and relics of the countryside of Albania, Greece and Yugoslavia. The itinerary continues in the room reserved for the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and Yugoslavia (1941-1943) and in the one that preserves the memory of the participation of grenadiers to the Resistance. On the first floor is the hall of honor dedicated to the rulers of the House of Savoy, supporters of the grenadier corps since its establishment. Two rooms dedicated to the Italo-Ethiopian war, a room dedicated to Lieutenant Guido Zanetti and one dedicated to the war flags of the regiment complete the museum. Indeed nice!

The official Historical Museum of the Grenadiers of Sardinia army museum : https://www.esercito.difesa.it/en/History/museums/Historical-Museum-of-the-Grenadiers-of-Sardinia

The Rome tourist office on the museum: https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/historical-museum-granatieri

There you go folks, a nice museum me think off the beaten path but all worth a visit while in Rome;you need time , there are so many nice museums there. I have collected them over time and some more than once. Enjoy the Historical Museum of the Grenadiers of Rome !

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

So now I come to you to update this all inclusive post and splitting them on its own as the museums merit it, I have seen some but not all, too many lol! I will post the ones I know, small,off the beaten paths museums, starting with the Pietro Canonica museum of Rome ! Hope you enjoy it as I

The Pietro Canonica Museum (Museo Pietro Canonica) is located 2 via Pietro Canonica, in the park of Villa Borghese (see post). It is dedicated to the work of Pietro Canonica.

The house is mentioned in documents of the 17C, under the name of Gallinaro: ostriches, peacocks and ducks were raised there to provide hunting for the Borghese family. The current name, Fortezzuola, (fortress in Italian) comes from the fact that it represents the walls of the city, in the medieval style. Later, in 1919, the building, which was used as administrative offices, suffered a fire, which decided its subsequent abandonment. In 1926 he was loaned to Pietro Canonica, who reorganized the building and turned the stables into exhibition halls for his work. When the sculptor died in 1959, a first collection of works formed the core of the museum. After the death of his second wife in 1987, the furniture of the residence is donated to the city of Rome, in accordance with his last wishes.

This internationally renowned sculptor, music lover and composer himself, was trained in Turin in the late 19C, and then stayed in the European courts, where the aristocracy ordered portraits and memorials. Pietro Canonica  moved to Rome in 1922 and in 1927 managed to get the city’s agreement to use the building that now houses the museum, to make it his home and his studio. In return, the artist agrees to give, after his death, all the works accumulated over the years on this occasion, to make a museum in his name. The museum offers various perspectives from the artist to the visitor: with the private apartment on the first floor, or with the sculptor’s studio on the ground floor. The exhibition halls bring together a large part of his work: from small busts to large equestrian statues, sculptures, drawings, models, and molds, in a collection that is also a journey through the tumultuous history of the late 19C, and the first half of the 20C. It also teaches the various stages and different machining processes in the art of sculpture.

The official Pietro Canonica museum : https://www.museocanonica.it/en/il_museo/collezione

the Rome tourist office on the museum : https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/pietro-canonica-museum

There you go folks, a nice museum me think off the beaten path but all worth a visit while in Rome;you need time , there are so many nice museums there. I have collected them over time and some more than once. Enjoy the Museo Pietro Canonica of Rome !

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

So now I come to you to update this all inclusive post and splitting them on its own as the museums merit it, I have seen some but not all, too many lol! I will post the ones I know, small,off the beaten paths museums, starting with the Carlo Bilotti museum of Rome ! Hope you enjoy it as I

The Carlo Bilotti Museum (Museo Carlo Bilotti) is located in the Orangery of Villa Borghese, at Viale Fiorello La Guardia (street). It is a museum of contemporary art belonging to the city of Rome which is part of the project museums park of the Villa Borghese (see post). The museum presents paintings, sculptures and watercolors from the collection donated by Italian-American entrepreneur and collector Carlo Bilotti, including works by Giorgio De Chirico, paintings by Gino Severini, Andy Warhol and Larry Rivers, and a sculpture by Giacomo Manzù. The museum is also equipped to present temporary exhibitions.

The story goes that in 1650, the Orangery was a two-story building with a small tower, covered galleries, a square courtyard decorated with paintings representing figures and landscapes and, in the center of the courtyard, a fountain in the shape of a ship. Subsequently, in addition to the one made under Cardinal Borghese, the building has undergone several changes and has completely lost its original appearance. At the end of the 18C, it was enlarged and decorated, in parallel with the development of the adjacent  Lake Garden. The building was then used for festivities and social events, and was called the “Pavilion of water games” or Casino dei giuochi acqua in Italian, because of the presence of fountains and nymphaea’s in a Baroque style.  In 1849, the building was destroyed during the battle of the Roman Republic. It was then rebuilt with a slightly different shape and without decoration, to accommodate the citrus trees during the winter, a function that earned it its current name. In 1903, when Villa Borghese came into possession of the city of Rome, it served as offices and dwellings; until 1982, it was the seat of a religious institute and offices of the municipality. The building was finally restored and the exterior was painted red to create a museum dedicated to Carlo Bilotti.

The official Carlo Bilotti museum: https://www.museocarlobilotti.it/en

The Rome tourist office on the museum: https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/carlo-bilotti-museum

There you go folks, a nice museum me think off the beaten path but all worth a visit while in Rome;you need time , there are so many nice museums there. I have collected them over time and some more than once. Enjoy the Museo Carlo Bilotti of Rome !

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!