France

“Amiens Cathedral, in the heart of Picardy, is one of the largest ‘classic’ Gothic churches of the 13th century. It is notable for the coherence of its plan,

“Chartres Cathedral is a Gothic Catholic cathedral, mostly constructed between 1194 and 1250, and is the last of at least five which have occupied the site since the

“The Mona Lisa is a portrait of a woman by Leonardo da Vinci, believed to have been painted between 1503 and 1506, is on permanent display at the

“The fortified medieval town of Provins is situated in the former territory of the powerful Counts of Champagne. It bears witness to early developments in the organization of

“Cardinal César d’Estrées, friend and adviser to Louis XIV invited Vincenzo Coronelli to Paris in 1681 to construct a pair of globes. Each globe was composed of spindles

“At 113 metres long, 58 metres in width and 34 metres tall, it is only slightly smaller than Notre-Dame and thus the second largest church in the city.