SIGHTSEEING IN VERSAILLES
An article published in the French Press discussing Juan P Lluria’s passionate interest and exceptional knowledge of the City of Versailles which appeared in 2002 and in which he is photographed with his esteemed friend and colleague, the late Jacques Villiard, who was the world’s most recognized historian of the city and has been an exemplary mentor and friend encouraging Mr. Lluria’s lifelong pursuit of knowledge of the Royal City.
The Chateau de Versailles is one of the greatest historical sites of the Western World! Juan P. Lluria is intimately familiar with the history, interiors and collections of the most renowned of royal residences. And Mr. Lluria can happily arrange introductions to his French licensed museum guide friends and colleagues to arrange a more intimate tour of the chateau interiors.
However, while legions of art historians specializing in the Ancien Régime also can lay claim to having similar familiarity with the great royal chateau, Juan P Lluria is prominently distinguished and acknowledged for his profound, intimate and exhaustive familiarity with the scarcely known city of Versailles which is the other side of the proverbial coin. The city of Versailles is a treasure in itself and a great discovery for anyone wise enough to take the time to view all it has to offer! Talking a walking tour in the company of Juan P Lluria though the streets of Versailles enhances any visitor’s appreciation of the chateau to an unimaginable degree. As the great city emerged in the 17th Century to service the great chateau housing the court of France, it evolved into a major metropolis by the 18th Century and could claim a substantial population of all classes numbering approximately 70,000 souls. To truly appreciate a visit to the royal chateau, a visitor should also consider engaging Juan P Lluria to customize a day or 2 of street tours, sightseeing and other enriching experiences including a visit to the Theatre Montansier for an evening performance or personalized advising by Mr. Lluria to the various grand and small intimate local antiquaires clustered in the city’s historic Quartier Notre Dame district offering a dazzling array of sumptuous period furniture and objects little known to outsiders whose inventories equal the more highly profiled galleries of Paris itself.
L’Hôtel Du Baillage which now houses an utterly irresistable community of fine antiquaires waiting to be discovered!
Even a simple walking tour with Mr. Lluria can be a thrill as the history of the Courts of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI come alive by visiting the sites that once housed ministries, great personages of the court, the royal kitchens, churches, public squares and other places that witnessed great moments in French history such as the Royal Tennis Courts and the site in which the Estates General were assembled during that fateful summer of 1789! For more probing excursions, Mr. Lluria can engage French licensed personal museum guides on your behalf to enhance the experience for private tours of the little known Musée Lambinetwhich was recently triumphantly renovated and displays great period furnished rooms, art and artifacts of the 17th, 18th and 19thCenturies concentrating on the history of this much overlooked glorious royal city!
A fine example of a Louis XV period apartment building still considered a desirable address in an angled corner where the rue de la Saint Famille meets the rue de l’Occident
The facade of an apartment building from the reign of Louis XV on the very animated rue de Sartory.
The garden entrance to one of the city’s best experiences, Le Musée Lambinet. This was a former residence which now houses a delightful museum devoted largely to the City of Versailles and boasts a sensational collection of paintings, sculpture, furniture, and other historical artifacts.
One of many ravishing period rooms evoking la douceur de vivre on the eve of 1789 with exceptionally elegant Louis XV period furniture that can be seen in Le Musée Lambinet.
One of many grand antiquaires to be visited in the Baillage of Versailles
Near the Baillaige, is a fine antiquarian bookseller which has reasonably priced offerings that are hard to resist!
Fees for a customized day or more with personal guide Juan P. Lluria in the city of Versailles are usually a minimum of $750.00 per day plus meals and related travel expenses. Custom arrangements are possible with ample advance notice to make this experience truly magical and unforgettable!