What was built as a fortress, transformed into a Royal Palace is today; the Louvre not only is the most visited museum but the largest in the world. Albeit that it houses more than 380 000 pieces in its collection, only 35 000 are on display in the 60 000 square metre museum. It is said that if you were to view each piece for 30 seconds it would take you 100 days to view all the artworks.
Maybe the most famous of pieces is Leonardo’s, Mona Lisa. The small, 77cm x 53cm, yet magnificent masterpiece that was enjoyed by many in the art world and became world famous when it was stolen by a guard, Vicenzo Peruggia, in 1911. It is said that Peruggia did not work alone and was one of three people that were paid handsomely to steal the painting for the Marquis of the Vale of Hell, who on his deathbed revealed that he had made a small fortune selling forgeries to art collectors who thought they had bought the original.
