The next three museums are smaller, and quite far from Paris, but they are each splendid. For the Napoleonic buff, these sites alone would justify a trip to Rome, the south of France, and to Monaco.

Il Museo Napoleonico. Located along the Tiber River in Rome, this relatively small museum (see photo 11 at left) is an absolute treasure. Housed in fourteen thematic rooms is a superb collection of artifacts ranging from important paintings to small statues. The rooms (see photo 15 at right ) feature period furniture. My own specialty is snuff boxes, and the wonderful collection of snuff boxes here (see photo 16 at right) made it very difficult to leave. Finally, there is the mold for the cup made to be a perfect copy of a certain lovely portion of Pauline's anatomy (see photo 17 at left). [Also see the article in Napoleon #1] See the Roman Forum if you must, but don't miss this museum!

Musee Naval et Napoleonien. Located at Cap d'Antibe, this museum is another treasure that is often neglected by Napoleonic tourists. Located in an actual coastal fort, there are several rooms with a wide range of military-oriented artifacts (see photo 9, left). One room has a very nice display of busts and other items of that nature, as well as many prints (see photo 18 at right). The building itself is also worthy of your attention.

The Museum of Napoleonic Souvenirs and of the Palace Archives. Located in the Prince's Palace in Monaco, this museum is one of the two best of the relatively small museums (along with the one in Rome). Housed in a portion of the palace rebuilt in 1964 (see photo 12 at left, with yours truly), the museum displays the collections of Prince Louis II, grandfather of the current ruler of Monaco, Prince Rainier III.

There is a Napoleonic family connection to the Grimaldi family, and Prince Louis was able to put together a formidable collection. The collection has many Bonaparte family items, including a gold snuff box given to Napoleon by Josephine, the Christening slippers and various toys of the King of Rome, and articles of Napoleon's clothing. There is a nice collection of snuff boxes, as well as items belonging to Czar Alexander II of Russia. This fine museum is yet another good reason to attend the Napoleonic Congress to be held in Monaco in July of 1996.

Museums:

Napoleonic Museums in and around Paris
Napoleonic Museums at Waterloo
Napoleonic Museums in Rome, Monaco, S. France
The Wellington Museum in London
Ultimate Reference for Finding Napoleonic Sites

Related:

The Museo de Risorgimento in Milan, Italy