Great Exhibitions

The idea and depiction of Paris as a romantic destination may have started with photographers like Brassai, Henry Cartier-Bresson, Robert Doisneau and Willy Ronis. Ronis, at 95 has outlived them all. 190 of his photographs are on display at Paris' Hotel de Ville through Feb. 28. and depict the city from the 1930's to 1960.

The Institut du Monde Arabe offers L'Age d'Or des Sciences Arabes, a display of astrolabs, charts and maps, medical and botanical treaties which illustrate the contribution of Arabs in fields like astronomy, algebra, pharmacy and medicine among others.

Florence's Museo Degli Argenti in Palazzo Pitti offers an exhibition on mythology and erotica from antiquity to the 18th century: Mythologica et Erotica Arte e cultura dell' antichita al XVIII secolo through the 15th of May. (See: The naked or nearly so: Erotica in Florence.)