By Iris Samuels<\/p>\n
If you have ever seen a mob of paparazzi surround a celebrity, you know what it was like to live in Versailles during the 18th century. While cameras weren\u2019t invented yet, the grand palace was a place where merchants and architects, locals and foreigners, could all catch a glimpse of royalty. Versailles\u00a0was a pilgrimage of splendid voyeurism.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was not a locked fortress,\u201d said Bertrand Rondot, head curator of the Museum of the Ch\u00e2teau de Versailles, describing the main palace of Versailles. \u201cAnyone could visit.\u201d<\/p>\n
For this reason, Marie Antoinette needed a hideaway. Today, she is known for\u00a0her exorbitant spending and opulent lifestyle, but even the most indulgent queens\u00a0need the occasional moment of solitude.<\/p>\n
Unlike the grand palace, the Petit Trianon was conceived as a place to \u201cescape the court life,\u201d Rondot explained.<\/p>\n
Marie Antoinette moved into Petit Trianon as a new queen in 1774, when Louis XVI assumed the role of King. Originally, it was built in 1768 for the mistress of Louis XV. Tucked away on the northern side of the Versailles complex, it was distant enough from the main\u00a0Ch\u00e2teau to provide seclusion and intimacy.<\/p>\n
Today, the Petit Trianon fulfills much of the same role it did when Marie Antoinette was its main resident. Unlike the main Ch\u00e2teau, where one has to push and shove through hordes\u00a0of eager tourists in order to catch a glimpse of the stately furniture and murals, the Petit Trianon provides a quiet place for visitors to explore French royalty.<\/p>\n
From dining room to bedroom, from billiards room to the basement kitchen, Petit Trianon\u00a0provides a place where patrons can stroll\u00a0through ornate rooms under the watchful eye of Marie Antoinette\u2019s bust,\u00a0enjoy\u00a0the company of close friends, and for just a few moments daydream about the lives of kings and queens.<\/p>\n By Iris Samuels If you have ever seen a mob of paparazzi surround a celebrity, you know what it was like to live in Versailles during the 18th century. While cameras weren\u2019t invented yet, the grand palace was a place where merchants and architects, locals and foreigners, could all catch a glimpse of royalty. Versailles\u00a0was … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/pariscasestudy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2017\/03\/DSC_0167-595x396.jpg\")