The Luxembourg Palace

Picture: Costa (2015)

Formerly an urban castle built by a queen, today the seat of the French Senate. The Luxembourg Palace is a symbol of the wealth of Parisian homes. In 1615, the second wife of Henri IV, coming from the Florentine court, wanted a house similar to the Pitti Palace in Florence, but not just a copy.

This idea of ​​urban palace arose in Ancient Rome, rus in orbe, "the countryside in the city", whose bucolic life was brought to the urban environment. Already the name Luxembourg is due to the duke owner previous to the construction of the palace.

Picture: Costa (2015)

The Fountain of Medici, next to the palace, has this name for the origin of the queen, Mary, of the Medici family of Florence. She hired Salomon de Brosse to recreate the gardens she had known in childhood, including composing this fountain, erected in stone and with sculptures of characters from Greek mythology.

Picture: Costa (2015)