Maison Bonaparte, National museum in Ajaccio, France
Maison Bonaparte is a three-story residence in Ajaccio, Corsica, now serving as a national museum and heritage site. The interiors display furniture, wall coverings and everyday objects from the time when the family lived here and arranged the rooms according to the tastes of its occupants.
The family ancestors acquired the property in the late 17th century and established it as a permanent residence. A son was born here in the late 1760s who later became known as a military and political leader of France.
The house is called Casa Buonaparte in Corsican and Italian. Its name comes from the family that owned it from 1682 to 1923, when it passed to the French state. Napoleon's wet nurse Camilla Ilari was left in charge when the family departed in 1799, and a bust of Napoleon II stands in the street before the building.
The house stands in the old town on the corner of Rue Saint-Charles and Rue Letizia, with a bust of Napoleon II in front of the facade. The entrance is on the narrow street, so visitors arriving on foot from the old town centre reach it without a climb. Allow about an hour to see the rooms.
One of the rooms still preserves the original wooden beams and floor tiles from the second half of the 18th century, including the chamber where a famous occupant was born. The family returned here from time to time after extended absences, which helped keep some furnishings in their original places to this day.
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