Things to see and do Route de la soie

In 2017, the world's largest planetarium opened its doors at SPB, dethroning the one in Nagoya City. The project is installed in the old gasometer (gas storage tank) of the old gas plant complex built in 1884. Spectacularly reinvented, the building now houses a 37-metre diameter dome with 40 projectors and a mini-museum with exhibitions on the infinite worlds of space. In winter, the outdoor area of the planetarium is transformed into a gigantic 1,500 m² ice rink.

IdeaGuide brings together a team of private French-speaking guides and offers a wide range of tours for individuals and mini-groups. This allows you to book only the services and levels of care you require: a specific thematic tour as well as a complete stay program of several days, but also your invitations for visas, transfers, purchase of train tickets, theater tickets... The French-speaking experts offer you an itinerary adapted to the countless faces of the Russian capital on the Baltic Sea.

One of the most experienced canal excursion companies, operating in St. Petersburg since 1994. The offer is vast between trips on the Neva River, cruises, dinner on the water, observation of bridge-raising, musical evenings, etc. Departures are regular, several times a day during the navigation season. Be sure to find out beforehand about the available cruises, schedules and landing stages served on the site, which can be consulted in English. Possibility to book a cruise online.

If the Rolland cave as such cannot be visited because of its dangerousness, the hiking trail leading to it remains one of the most beautiful walks at the entrance to the Parc des Calanques. Between the scrubland, hills, breathtaking views of Marseille and the Marseilleveyre massif, you will enjoy a unique setting for a journey that lasts about an hour (do not forget the time of return before starting the climb). The cave takes its name from a legend that a highwayman named after him made his home there in the 18th century. It is even said that there was an invaluable treasure hidden there. In the meantime, it will allow you an unforgettable walk. Choose the off-season.

How about casting off and discovering Venice and the lagoon in unusual boats? How about spending a few hours on the water aboard a Riva boat, a vintage yacht, a Sanpierota boat or a completely reinvented fishing trawler from Bordeaux? If you are interested, don't hesitate to contact Carl-Georg, the founder of Classic Boats. His company specializes in these original nautical trips. It also offers a rental service for electric boats as well as guided tours with driver.

Serious and very competent French-speaking guide in addition to being very friendly, having a nice fleet of vehicles and being able to take care of a couple of travellers or a small group. Based in Samarkand, he does most of his work there as a tour guide for individuals or small groups, but nevertheless operates if necessary throughout the country, including as far as the Ferghana Valley. Cultivated, responsive and friendly, it is an excellent companion for discovering the Timurid capital.

Landmark impossible to circumvent for the Italian and foreign Jewish community in Venice. Information on the kosher establishments in the lagoon and on the dates and the schedule of the various offices and events. Suggestions of itineraries sets of themes on a tour of Venetian Ghetto.

Call Center 060608 is Rome Capitale's dedicated number for tourist and cultural information. Romans and tourists can use this service to find out about the city's tourist and hospitality services, cultural offerings and events program. In collaboration with Zètema Progetto Cultura, it is also possible to purchase tickets for museums, exhibitions, theaters and events by credit card, and to collect them directly on site. You can also browse and obtain information at www.060608.it. The 060608 number is active every day from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the price of a city call. In collaboration with ATAC, Call Center 060608 provides detailed, up-to-date information in real time on transport and mobility, and indicates the easiest route to a destination.

The church of Sant'Andrea al Quirinale was commissioned by the Jesuits in Bernini in 1658 and completed in 1661. Having chosen to organize the space along the small axis of the ellipse, Le Bernin placed concave walls on either side of the porch, which partially hide the building's receding walls. The whole is joyful. This is the work of a single artist, brilliant in his art, executed in a single stroke and a fine example of the aesthetics of that time.

Site of the Conference of Bishops of France, extremely informative on Catholic life and all the services that animate the Christian faith in France.

A completely original site which presents the Vatican Observatory and all the research carried out by this service, between Italy and the United States.

It is also in Sixtus IV that the pavement should be paved. The study of the soil shows that the separation wall, called transenne, is not at its initial location since it is placed on one of six circles of the first part of the chapel. We must imagine the original position of the wall, a little closer to the choir. It is then better understood the ground of the paving: a walk from the main door to the choir, a square for this choir reserved for the priests. It can be interpreted as symbolizing a allée allée first, then as a break of the procession once the transenne has passed. It can also be seen as a labyrinth, which was used in the bogs of the cathedrals of the time.

According to the collective contract signed on 27 October 1481 between Sixtus IV and Giovannino di Dolci, it was known that a group of six painters had to perform for the Pope the decoration of the two side walls of the chapel, that is, twelve frescoes, of the drapes in the eye as well as a papal gallery. The benches were also of their design. That's how they delivered the two painted walls, 28 papal portraits, and a blue vault on which white wax balls were glued, giving the impression of a constellation of stars when the candles éclairaient the chapel.

Their contract was then completed with a decoration project of the two remaining walls, that of the choir and that of the main door. The same group of artists devoted themselves to it, but 2 frescoes, The Discovery of Moses and The Nativity of Jesus, and 4 papal portraits disappeared under the last judgment of Michelangelo.

The Dispute around the body of Moses. Painted by Matteo da Leccia. This stage was originally painted by Luca Signorelli, but it was destroyed, like the Resurrection of Christ, in 1532, by the fall of the marble architrave of the main door.

The Resurrection of Christ. Painted by Hendrick Van den Broeck. Domenico Ghirlandajo painted the original fresco. There is less force in this fresco than in the previous one, and both do not reach the level of other paintings in the chapel. Michel-Ange, who was to paint this part, was prevented from doing so when he devoted himself to Pauline Chapel.

For a logical reading, we're starting from the choir to return to the main door.

The Baptism of Jesus. Painted by Le Perugino. The main stage is represented at the centre: Jesus is baptized in the waters of the Jordan by his cousin, Jean the Precursor, clothed with beast skin. The Holy Spirit, symbolized by a dove, then descended on him, under the gaze of God the Father inserted into a circle representing perfection. On the right, Jesus is a little above a group that listens to him preaching. On the right, it is Jean Baptiste who says that it is not he to hear, but «The one who comes».

The Temptations of Jesus. Painted by Sandro Botticelli. Christ appears four times on this fresco and is symbolized by a fifth stage. At the top, on the left, Satan disguised as religious seeks to try Jesus. Having failed, he found himself in the middle, on the temple of Jerusalem represented in the form of a hospital that the Pope had just built. Having failed again, he takes Jesus to the top of the mountain, but his last attempt is a failure; He discovers and runs away. In his purity by the angels, Jesus now appears left. First, the representation of a ritual sacrifice, the figure of a great priest, probably Melchisédec, is a symbol of Christ who is priest, prophet and king.

The Vocation of the Apostles. Painted by Domenico Ghirlandajo. The painter represented Jesus, choosing twice the apostles. On the top left, he calls Pierre and his brother André, just fishermen. He gives them his blessing in the foreground, where we see the apostles on his knees. These are the same as he takes to his suite, and they are found all three on the right bank, talking to John and Jacob, who follow Christ by letting their father, Zébédée, escape his oars.

The Sermon on the Mountain. Painted by De Rosselli. Jesus, in the middle, surrounded by the twelve apostles, descends from the mountain. In the foreground, always accompanied by his disciples who, sitting or standing, listen to his speech on the mountain in which he sets out the Beatitudes. The crowd on the left is amazed. Likewise, another crowd, on the right, expresses admiration for the healing of a lepers that Jesus also achieved in descending a mountain.

The Handing Over of keys to Pierre. Painted by Le Perugino and Luca Signorelli. The main stage is a representation that does not really exist in the Gospels. Indeed, if it is in Pierre that he claims to want to base his Church and to whom he gives the power to bind and surrender, no key has ever been exchanged in the Scriptures. On the left, we guess the scene that pits the pharisees to Jesus, in which he will reply: «Give unto Caesar what amounts to Caesar and God what comes to God. He therefore escapes what is represented on the right: stoning. On the right, the painter paid tribute to Giovanni de Dolci, architect of the Sistine Chapel, which saw him with a hand by hand, in conversation with Baccio Pontelli who holds a compass, and who built the chapel.

The Supper. Painted by De Rosselli and Biagio di Antonio Tucci. Sat, the twelve apostles share the bread and wine that Christ offers them, in the beginning of the sacrifice of his death that he will deal with a few hours later. The apostles are under discussion, probably evoke Easter and the agitation of Jerusalem. All are on the same side of the table, Jean on his left and Peter on his right, except Judas, who is in front of him. The nimbes are significant: Jesus wears a spring halo, the apostles a golden disc and Judas un unity under the action of Satan, which is represented in his neck. The three scenes in the background represent the prayer of Jesus to Gethsemane, the arrest of Christ and his crucifixion on Mount Golgotha, in the middle of the two oysters. John supports Mary, fainted.