Maurice Ravel House-Museum: the Boléro composer's haven of peace in Montfort-l'Amaury (78)

Perched on the heights of Montfort-l'Amaury, with a superb view of the church and surrounding countryside, Maurice Ravel 's house is a place that can be visited like turning the pages of a diary. More than just a museum, this house, preserved as the composer left it, plunges us into the fascinating world of the author of the Boléro.

Born in 1875 in the Basque country, Ravel showed an uncommon talent for music from an early age. A virtuoso pianist and masterful orchestrator, he established himself at the beginning of the 20th century as one of France's greatest composers, with a repertoire ranging from Daphnis et Chloé to L'Enfant et les Sortilèges and the famous Boléro.

In 1921, at the peak of his career, Ravel bought this house in Montfort-l'Amaury. A man who loved peace and quiet and nature, it was the perfect refuge for his creative work. For sixteen years, he composed, wrote, entertained musician and painter friends... and continued to refine every nuance of his scores like a jeweler cutting a precious stone.

The house may appear sober from the outside, despite its small turret, but inside it's a veritable cabinet of curiosities. Ravel, with his passion for the decorative arts and distant cultures, furnished the house with great care, including chinoiseries, antique clocks, miniature trinkets and, of course, his famous piano. His talent for music was well known, but the composer was also gifted at drawing, leaving sketches of decorations for his home.

A veritable belvedere, the house, opened to the public in 1973, has been preserved as it was when the composer died in 1937, as if he had never left. It is rare to find so many period trinkets and furnishings that have not been replaced.

Although it could do with a little refurbishment in the future to preserve it for as long as possible, it allows you to immerse yourself in its daily life with authenticity, all the more so as the visit is made in small groups of no more than 6 people, for a truly intimate atmosphere.

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You'll enjoyamusing or touching anecdotes, while discovering the rooms where he composed his famous scores, which are also sometimes found in the decor. As if mounted upside down, the room, all yellow with its upside-down columns, is on the first floor, level with the garden, a veritable haven of peace with infinite greenery, composed like a Japanese landscape with its maple trees, bonsai and rockery.

And yet, when you go upstairs, to the street level, the rooms follow one another and don't resemble one another, from a small living room filled with chinoiseries and curios of all kinds, brought back by his friends or found at flea markets, to his library where the books he read at the time and his Thompson gramophone still take pride of place, via his large living room full of surprises (which we'll leave you to enjoy), with an immense balcony stretching out to the horizon. At the far end is his study, with the Erard piano on which he built his legend.

You'll pay 11 euros to visit this unspoilt site, and 5 euros for younger visitors. Reservations must be made by e-mailing tourisme@montfortlamaury.fr on Saturdays and Sundays. Please note that the house is not accessible to wheelchair users, as there are small stairs and steps everywhere. Concerts and temporary exhibitions are sometimes organized here.

As is often the case, it's best to get there by car, but thanks to the Montfort-l'Amaury train station, you can also take the N line from Paris, as well as a direct bus service (n°5317 - Palais stop). If you prefer to walk, allow 40 minutes and a good climb to reach the Belvedere!

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