| Set back from the boulevard des Capucines is the dazzling Opéra de Paris – usually referred to as the Opéra Garnier (www.opera-de-paris.fr; M° Opéra) to distinguish it from the new opera house at the Bastille. Constructed as part of Napoléon III's vision for Paris, it crowns the avenue de l'Opéra, which was deliberately kept free of trees in order not to mask views of the building. The architect, Charles Garnier, whose golden bust by Carpeaux can be seen on the rue Auber side, was a relative unknown, determined to make his mark with something original. Drawing on a number of existing styles, he succeeded in creating a magnificently ornate building the like of which Paris had never seen before – when the Empress Eugénie asked in bewilderment what style it was, Garnier replied that it was "Napoléon III style". Certainly, if any building can be said to exemplify the Second Empire, it is this – in its show of wealth and hint of vulgarity. In the event, however, it was only completed in 1875 after the Empire had been swept away by the Third Republic, and even Garnier had to pay for his ticket on the opening night. Part of the reason construction took so long – fourteen years in all – was the discovery of a water table which had to be drained and replaced by a huge concrete well, giving rise to the legend of an underground lake, popularized by Gaston Leroux's Phantom of the Opera. The theatre's facade is a fairytale concoction of white, pink and green marble, colonnades, rearing horses, winged angels and gleaming gold busts of composers. No less opulent is the interior with its spacious, gilded-marble and mirrored lobbies, intended to give Second-Empire society suitably grand spaces in which to meet and be seen. The auditorium itself is all red velvet and gold leaf, hung with a six-tonne chandelier; the colourful ceiling was painted by Chagall in 1964 and depicts scenes from well-known operas and ballets jumbled up with famous Parisian landmarks. You can visit the interior (daily 10am–5pm; €6), including the auditorium – as long as there are no rehearsals; your best chance is between 1 & 2pm. The entry ticket includes the Bibliothèque-Musée de l'Opéra, containing model sets, dreadful nineteenth-century paintings, and rather better temporary exhibitions on operatic themes. For a brief overview of the Second Empire and its broader historical context, you could do worse than visit the Paris-Story multimedia show (daily with shows on the hour 9am–7pm; €8; M° Opéra), just round the west side of the Opéra, at 11bis rue Scribe. The 45-minute show, "narrated" by Victor Hugo, with simultaneous translation in English, traces the history of Paris right from its Roman beginnings as Lutetia up to the present day, using archive footage and computer-generated images. It all makes for an informative, albeit romanticized, introduction to the make-up of the city. Just to the north, on boulevard Haussmann, you'll find two of the city's big department stores, Printemps and Galeries Lafayette. Built in the latter half of the nineteenth century, they may have lost their grand central staircases, but they still sport their proud fin-de-siècle stained-glass domes. Printemps' is particularly splendid, coloured in glowing hues of green and blue, best appreciated from the café-restaurant beneath. Following in the stores' wake, a number of banks were built in the area. The Crédit Lyonnais at no. 19 Boulevard des Italiens, south of boulevard Haussmann, is perhaps the most imposing, with its huge gold clock surrounded by gigantic women in flowing disarray. Wrought-iron balconies and hunting friezes from the 1840s restaurant Maison Dorée, at no. 20, have been preserved by the Banque Nationale de Paris, and are on display next door to its sleek 1930s main building at no. 16.
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