Louvre Virtual Tour Part One: From Medieval Fortress to Royal Residence
Discover the fascinating story of the Louvre through its masterpieces with our virtual tour
Price 10 €
(2 Reviews)
Louvre Virtual Tour Part One: From Medieval Fortress to Royal Residence
duration 1.5 hours
Tour Overview
No art gallery on earth can quite measure up to the extraordinary Louvre - a jaw-dropping sequence of palaces and echoing halls housing tens of thousands of wonderful artworks, from ancient artefacts to the most iconic paintings of the Renaissance and beyond. In the company of expert guide Thomas, we’ll be tracing the long and complex story of the Louvre itself - from imposing medieval fortress to royal palace to the massive people’s art gallery we know today. The history of the Louvre tells the story of France itself, and our virtual tour will trace the profound links between art and history as told by the extraordinary gallery’s most spectacular artworks. Part one of our Louvre Virtual Tour traces the story of the gallery from its origins in the 1200s through to 1600, taking in masterpieces like Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa along the way. Be sure to pair your tour with part two, where we'll be following the story through to the present day!
Tour includes:
- A history of the Louvre, as told by the artworks housed inside
- Expert English-speaking licensed guide
- Interactive Q and A with Thomas
- €25 credit towards future Through Eternity services
Tour Description
Meet your Guide: Thomas
Hi, I’m Thomas. A native of Florida, I studied History in the United States and France, Art History in France and Italy, and Archaeology in Italy. I am one of four brothers, one of many Tolkien fans, and one of very few native English-speaking licensed tour guides in Rome, where I have lived and worked with Through Eternity Tours since 2006. My particular interests are medieval history, Baroque painting, pork products, tasty cakes, and full-figured red wines. I speak English, French, Italian, a smattering of Spanish, and a few German swear words.
What Exactly is a Through Eternity Virtual Tour?
The world of travel might be on hold right now, but just because we're all staying at home to help the world overcome a common enemy doesn't mean we have to put our wanderlust on the back burner. Frustrated with not being able to get our travel fix, we decided to transform our award-winning tours into immersive virtual experiences, meaning you can still explore Italy’s spectacular archaeological sites and jaw-dropping museums from the comfort of your own home.
* Please note that the booking times are in US Eastern Standard Time and Rome, Italy CET is 6 hours ahead *
Fun and informative, our virtual tours take the form of online real-time presentations led by our expert guides. Combining videos, high-definition photos and more, our guides will be sharing their wealth of knowledge and experience with you on these interactive walkthroughs of Italy’s most fascinating sites. The live format of our virtual tours means you’ll be able to ask your guide anything you wish, just like on a normal tour. We really believe it's the next best thing to being here!
If you cannot find a scheduled time for our virtual tours that work for you, please contact us directly and we would be delighted to set up a private virtual tour for you and your group!
As a sign of our gratitude to those who are on the front line fighting the Coronavirus, we would be more than happy to invite all first responders, health workers and NHS workers to join our Virtual Tours for free. Please message our office staff directly!
Please note that the proceeds from our online tours go directly to our guides, providing them with a valuable lifeline in these tough times for the world of travel. Thank you for your support!
Tour Reviews
5.0 (2 reviews)
How the Louvre became THE LOUVRE
Thomas offers a fresh and fascinating introduction to the Louvre by focusing more on the complex history of the space itself, as it evolved from fort to palace to museum, than on the vast eclectic collections inside the galleries. Given the way Thomas tells this cultural story, there are inevitably some wonderful opportunities to linger over a few paintings and sculptures, as well as historical personages, including Catherine di’ Medici (for those of us still more intrigued by Italy than France). Notably, inevitably, and wittily, Mona Lisa and her smile are featured—although part of Thomas’s purpose is clearly to inspire us to understand and see the Louvre as much much more than just Leonardo’s Mona Lisa. This tour ends in 1610 (though Thomas deftly drops in some modern and contemporary references). I am looking forward to returning to the Louvre in 1611 for part 2 of this virtual tour with Thomas,
Fascinating history of the Louvre Museum
I was fortunate to take Thomas's inaugural virtual tour on the Louvre (Part I). His presentation focused on the construction and many renovations of the building complex itself, with an emphasis on the historical context in which all those changes took place. Thomas shared quite a few fascinating stories of French history that inspired me to want to learn more about the various incidents he described. His use of visuals was excellent, including a virtual model showing how the Louvre changed over the years. He also spent time highlighting several of the more famous works in the Louvre collection, including its most famous painting, the Mona Lisa. I look forward to taking the virtual tour on the Louvre (Part II) next! Thanks, Thomas, for a fantastic virtual visit to this magnificent museum.
10 €