Remembering Openstudio’s December 2019 trip to Lyon for a weekend of gastronomy, art, architecture and the festival of lights. The highlight: a leisurely afternoon spent at Le Corbusier’s ‘La Tourette’.

Our visit to La Tourette was enhanced by an impressive exhibition of Anselm Kiefer installations, painting and sculptures in the monastery. The children in our group particularly enjoyed discovering the building via the Kiefer pieces.

The early winter sunset allowed us to experience La Tourette at dusk followed by a spectacular festival of lights in Lyon where the city’s streets, squares and façades came alive with light installations and projections. With the festival cancelled this year due to Covid-19 Lyon will reconnect with the origins of the festival when in 1852 the people of Lyon spontaneously placed lit candles on their window sills and balconies: a symbol of solidarity.