I needed a unique idea for my first full-length travel film.

How about Paris? A huge city with a colorful past in every area of achievement. What has never been told about this city of Paris?

Were the Romans ever here? Lutetia is the original settlement of a native people called the Parisii on an island now called Ile de la Cite in the 1st Arrondissement. (Paris got her name from the Parisii, and off she went to become the most wildly exciting city on the planet Earth.)

But, how in the world did Paris get all these monuments? The answer lies in Napoleon’s visit to Rome. Let’s pay a quick visit to the city hall of Rome, the Campidoglio.

Stairs on the Cordonata were made wide and shallow so horsemen could ride to the top. The museum to your left is the Palazzo dei Conservatori, and to your right is the new palace (Palazzo Nuovo) built after Michelangelo died. In the center is Palazzo Senatorio and on the backside is the ancient Tabularium where the decrees of the Roman Senate (stamped onto copper plates) were stored.

Take the stairway on the left of the city hall and descend to a terrace overlooking the Roman Forum. Guess who is standing next to you? That’s right, Napoleon! Look through the center arch of Septimius Severus in front of you and see the Arch of Titus in the distance. Napoleon stood where you are standing and saw how the arches of triumph frame each other and there lies the idea for his monuments of Paris.

The Arc de Caroussel is just outside the front door of the Louvre and is copied fro