Venice, Italy - Ghetto

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By Harry Preston

The Jewish Ghetto, famed as the setting for Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, dates from 1516 when the Council of Ten was pursuing its policy of zoning Venice. Murano was given over to glass production, Arsenale to ship building and the northerly island where there once stood a foundry (geto) became the home of Venice's Jewish population who had arrived as refugees from the mainland. Venice was a tolerant host and Jews were allowed to trade in medicine, money-lending and textiles. The Ghetto (which was to give its name to all other ghettos in Europe) was cordoned off by canals and entered by two water gates manned by Christian guards.
Although Napoleon removed the gates when he attacked Venice, the Austrians reinstalled them when they took over the city after the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Venice's Jewish population was not fully emancipated until 1866 when the city became part of the new kingdom of Italy. By that time. two satellite ghettos, Ghetto Vecchio and Ghetto Novissimo, strained to accommodate a population that had swelled to 5,000.
Because of overcrowding, houses in the Ghetto were built as high as possible, but these Venetian skyscrapers were forbidden to be more than one-third taller than any other Venetian building. As a result, as many storeys as possible were crammed in, resulting in ceilings that are lower than anywhere else in Venice. Nowadays, the Ghetto is inhabited by only five Jewish families, but it still maintains its kosher food shops, a Jewish bakery and two synagogues. The Museo Ebraico here shows visitors many 17th- and 19th-century Ghetto artefacts followed by guided tours of the area's German, Spanish and Levantine synagogues.
For more information about Venice, Italy visit GuidedTourVenice.com.
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Paris, France - Place Des Abbesses

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By Harry Preston

After the din of the neighbouring place du Tertre, the tranquil place des Abbesses is the ideal place to pause, enjoy a coffee and take in the absorbing atmosphere of the area. One of Montmartre's prettiest squares, it is just a short walk from the Sacre-Coeur and Pigalle, and is a favoured Sunday morning haunt of local residents as well as visitors.
Surrounding the square are some fine examples of extravagant art nouveau architecture, the most notable of which is the canopied metro entrance that leads to Paris' deepest station at 40m (31 feet). Designed by Hector Guimard, it features amber lanterns and green wrought-iron arches, and is one of the last remaining examples in the city. The Eglise St-Jean-de-Montmartre, which dates from 1904, is named after the abbey that once stood on the site. The decorative windows, which significantly brighten up its otherwise austere facade, date from the same period.
This is where caricaturists, portrait and landscape artists congregate each day to paint local scenes and willing passers-by. Visitors throng these "street studios" so that they can can take home a drawing or painting of themselves. The place du Tertre is a fascinating, though touristy, reminder of a time when Picasso or Renoir may have sat in this very square and painted.
From my personal experience, the surrounding square is an excellent location for a traveller to immerse him or herself in some of Paris best local art architecture. There are many great photo opportunities to be had, so make sure to bring a camera and save a couple hours for the Place des Abbesses.
For more information about Paris, France visit GuidedTourParis.com.
For more information about Madrid, Spain visit GuidedtourMadrid.com.

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Barcelona, Spain - The Museu De Cera and The Museu Frederic Mares

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By Harry Preston

The Museu de Cera also known as the Barcelona wax museum sits just off Las Ramblas in a neoclassical stately home that belies its unremarkable contents. It's not exactly Madame Tussauds, but it is popular with kids and worth a visit if you have a family to entertain.
The building was designed by architect Elies Rogent. Formerly the site of El Banco de Barcelona, it remains largely intact, complete with winding staircases and frescoes. Features include the "staircase of honour" and "the armoured room", an example of rooms used by banks in the 19th century.
The museum was founded in 1973, the creation of architect and set designer Enrique Alarcon. It shows around 300 wax models of historical figures, celebrities and literary characters, complete with audio-visual effects. Pope John Paul 11 hobnobs with the likes of Franco and Hitler, artists and film stars, and horror creations Dracula and Frankenstein.
The museum's cafe, El Bosc de les Fades (Forest of the Fairies) is next door and a destination in its own right. Fitted out in the style of an enchanted forest, it has gnarled trees, toadstools and a grotto.
The Museu Frederic Mares sculptor and collector Frederic Mares i Deulovol donated his home and this fascinating collection to the city of Barcelona. Just behind the cathedral, it is one of the biggest collections of medieval sculpture in the region and is a remarkable repository of objects from everyday life from centuries long gone.
The museum occupies a series of buildings formerly belonging to the Royal Palace and is divided into three sections: sculpture, the collector's cabinet and Mares' library-studio. The palace has beautiful interior courtyards, chiselled stone and soaring ceilings. There is a huge collection of religious sculpture and imagery, from pre-Roman times to the 20th century, but it is the upper floors which contain everyday paraphernalia that really make it worth a visit.
Literally thousands of 19th-century household items and memorabilia, including bicycles, photographs, scissors and clocks are displayed to give a glimpse of life in Barcelona over the years. Objects are organised into themed rooms, including the "Ladies quarter", which shows the life of a 19th-century Spanish woman through a vast collection of bags, hatpins, fans, jewellery and other feminine accessories.
The Entertainment Room features toys and automatons. The museum is accessible through an attractive courtyard with an outdoor cafe, open during the summer months. The cafe is the perfect resting place during a visit to this incredible museum.
For more information about Barcelona, Spain visit GuidedTourBarcelona.com.
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London, England - Harrods

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By Harry Preston

One of the world's most famous stores, Harrods has built its reputation on its Latin motto: "Omnia, omnibus, ubique" ("Everything, for everyone, everywhere") - Noel Coward was once given an alligator for Christmas, bought from Harrods' pet department.
Far more than a shop, it is an experience. Spend enough time - and money here - and you can organise almost all your life. From designing and fixing up your home (whether you're thinking Louis XIV opulence or Scandinavian minimalism), to scheduling your eyebrow-shaping session and planning the evening's dinner menu - everything can be done under one roof.
It has come a long way from the Stepney grocery store that specialised in tea and was set up by Charles Harrod in 1834. He used his intuition and moved to a small shop on the present site in 1849, feeling that the planned Great Exhibition of 1851 would be good for business.
Today the store covers more than 9.2ha (23 acres), with 330 departments and 5,000 staff. It has counted Oscar Wilde, Sigmund Freud and many members of the British Royal Family among its customers.
The terracotta palace on Brompton Road dates from 1901 and was designed by the architect of Claridge's hotel, C W Stephens. For many, the first-floor food halls are the highlight, as much for W J Neatley's tiled ceilings with hunting scenes above the fish, meat and poultry counters, as for the produce beneath.
In 1985 the Egyptian businessman Mohamed al-Fayed bought Harrods for £615 million. His renovations included installing a £20 million "Egyptian Escalator", designed with experts from the British Museum. Check at an information point when you go in on the day's programme. As well as catching a high-profile book signing, you may find opera singers performing arias on the moving stairway.
Try to have tea under the original art nouveau skylight in Harrods' flagship Georgian restaurant which offers a buffet, carvery and an a la carte menu (you will almost certainly need to book ahead for this), and pass by at night when the exterior is ablaze with 12,000 lightbulbs.
For more information visit London, England visit GuidedTourLondon.com.
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London, England - Tate Britain

Image via WikipediaBy Harry Preston
No gallery can rival Tate Britain for its collection of British art from 1500 to the present day - the closest, the Yale Center for British Art, can claim similar expansiveness but has less depth.
Although intended as a national gallery of British art from its inception, when it opened in 1897 it was named after Henry Tate, the sugar millionaire. He paid for the building and kick-started the project with his collection of Victorian pictures.
In the 100-plus years since, the gallery has become a multifaceted exploration of Britain itself. From Tudor England through to Gainsborough and Reynolds in the 18th century, from the 19th-century Pre-Raphaelites and beyond to Spencer, Hockney and the iconoclastic Bacon in the 20th, its portraits are an intimate social history of the country. It has outstanding examples of the Romantic artists Blake (1757-1827), Constable (1776-1837) and Turner (1775-1851), the latter housed in the spare, almost hallowed spaces of the Clore Gallery, designed by Sir James Stirling. The gallery is internationally known for its sponsorship of contemporary art.
Since 1984 it has awarded the Turner Prize annually to a British artist under the age of 50. Controversial almost from the beginning, the prize has become particularly associated with conceptual art. The permanent collection, which is arranged chronologically, is complemented by temporary exhibitions that focus on a theme or individual artist. If you want to visit Tate Modern on the same day, a high-speed boat decorated with Damien Hirst spots will zip you upriver. The Tate Britain is a must see when in London.
For more information about London, England visit GuidedTourLondon.com.
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