Italian Embassy I

Every mid-September there is a Heritage weekend -Journées du Patrimoine- when many historical buildings are open to the public for free including the Elysée Palace where President Sarkozy lives, the Sénat, and the Assémble National. The choice of places to see can be overwhelming and people wait on line for hours to get a glimpse of some of these magnificent buildings.

Someone sent me an invitation to a charity bazaar at the Italian Embassy during the Journées du Patrimoine and she also said the hotel articulier it was in was not to be missed. With only a few hours in between tours that day, my mind was now made up.

Located on the rue de Varenne in the 7th arrondissement, the stately building was originally called the Hotel de la Rochefoucault-Doudeauville and was built between 1732 and 1733. I went with a friend and there was a long line stretching down the block, which was discouraging since I had limited time to see it. I showed my invitation to the bazaar and the guard whisked us in right away. We walked into the lobby and a grand staircase with crimson red carpeting welcomed us. It reminded me of one of my favorite childhood musicals The Unsinkable Molly Brown, where Debbie Reynolds makes an entrance on a stairway similar to this, stunningly dressed in a beaded gown. The staircase was designed by Henry Parent in Louis XV style with marble in seven colors and the walls are adorned with Gobelins tapestries. While perusing the various rooms with gaga eyes, we struck up a conversation with an adorable Italian guy named Michele. He was a student from Salerno, Italy interning at the embassy for six months and was giving tours that day. He told us the second floor was even more special than the first, but unfortunately it was off limits. What a tease. But Michele made up for it by giving me a copy of an informative brochure in English about the history of the embassy.

The Grand Staircase

Another jaw dropper was the Chinese room, with 18th century Chinoiserie wall panels with delicate Chinese figures and flowers. The furniture is from Venice and the floral yellow couch was from the Dona dell Rose Palace in Venice. The library, which was brought from the Vercelli Palace, was cozy and intimate and there was a most inviting chaise I was dying to take a nap in.

Above photos are of Chinese room

I want to take a nap in this chair

The Library

My favorite room of all hands down was the Sicilian Theater. It was brought over from the Butera Palace in Palermo by the Duke Lanza di Branciforte di Camastra for his bride Rose Ney d' Elchingen. I stood in awe trying to take in all the intricate details and carvings and it was like being in a fairyland. I especially loved the mirrors and the frames around them. The wall panels represent birds, flowers, different mythological and allegorical figures. The engraved mirrors have flying cupids in their hands with garlands. The stucco ceiling with flowers and leaves emulate the old Palermo Palace and the chandeliers come from the Pola Palace from the time of Marie-Therese.

It was a very special day and next Journées du Patrimoine I highly recommend you put the Italian Embassy on the top of your list. Tomorrow I will feature photos of the lush gardens and grounds and also exterior shots of the building.

Italian Embassy
52 rue de Varenne, 75007
Metro: rue du Bac

Above photos are of Sicilian theater

Eye Prefer Paris on Twitter

I just launched a fun new daily Twitter post- Paris Photo du Jour. Every day I will post a photo of Paris. Follow me on Twitter - http://twitter.com/eyepreferparis

CONTEST EXTENSION-I am extending the contest below to next Monday, October 24, so you still have a chance to send me your subscriber list.

Eye Prefer Paris Contest
I realize it's been a while since I have had a new subscribers contest and figured it was time for one. I know many of you forward my blog posts to friends, family, and fellow francophiles and many thanks for that. The next logical step would be for them to subscribe.

I am obsessed with increasing my subscriber numbers for a myriad of reasons but one big reason is to attract advertisers. Right now I have 5522 subscribers and my goal is 6500 subscribers by the end of the year.  So please support my obsession and subscribe everyone on the planet you know to my blog.

I will make it simple for you: Please send me a list of the e-mails you want me to subscribe and I will personally subscribe them. My email is [email protected]. Once I sign them up they will receive an email saying this:
Please check your inbox for a verification message from “FeedBurner Email Subscriptions”, the service that delivers email subscriptions for Eye Prefer Paris. You will need to click a link listed in this message to activate your subscription. If you don't see a confirmation e-mail in a reasonable amount of time please check your bulk/spam folder.

The winner of the contest is the person who has the most people click the activation link. The grand prize is a copy of The Bonne Femme Cookbook: Simple, Splendid, Food that French Women Cook Everyday by Wini Moranville. I just received a copy of The Bonne Femme Cookbook and I have not been this inspired to cook again since my catering days in New York before I moved here. I spent an hour looking through the surprisingly easy to execute recipes that are the staples of most French women. I highly recommend buying this cookbook with 250 mouthwatering, no fuss recipes which are easy to prepare with ingredients that are readily available at your local market.

Wini Moranville, is a food and wine writer and restaurant reviewer. She has spent over 20 summers in France learning the art of simple French cooking which she lovingly shares.

Click here to order from Amazon. Also check out Wini's yummy blog http://chezbonnefemme.com/

I will announce the contest winner next Wednesday, so send me your list right away.

Love the cover

 

In addition to my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, we now offer Eye Prefer New York Tours, 3-hour walking tours of New Yorkís best neighborhoods including Soho, Meatpacking/West Village & Tribeca. Tours cost $195 for up to 3 people and $65 for each additional person.Come take a bit of the Big Apple on an Eye Prefer New York Tour!

Come experience my blog ìliveî with my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I lead. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.Tours cost 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris. www.eyepreferparistours.com
 

 

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotteís professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

Comments

[John W.]

Spectacular, Richard! It's only on the Journées du Patrimoine, or thanks to enterprising folks like you, that the rest of us discover that the rue de Varenne is not in fact the most boring street in Paris.

[Hayden]

I just read your story on the Italian Embassy. It was the best I have read just wonderful. But the photos are soooo gorgeous. You are definitely a true photographer. They are incredible. The colors are soo clear and wonderful.

[Michael]

A STUNNER. Thank you. The chair where you wanted to name is called a Recamier.

[The Paris Apartment]

STUNNING!!!

[Mary]

I LOVED the Italian Embassy. Many thanks for the photos. Now I have to find someone important enough to let me in.

[Pascal]

fabulous!