8 Famous Places in Dan Brown’s Books

Fountain of the Four Rivers – Rome, Italy

Fountain of the Four Rivers is a fountain located in Piazza Navona in Rome, Italy. The building was designed in 1651 by Lorenzo Bernini, made of marble in the Baroque style. Especially, the fountain depicts the gods of 4 major rivers. They are the Nile in Africa (mysterious), the Danube in Europe (closest to Rome), the Ganges in Asia (navigation), and the river La Plata in the Americas (wealthy). Fountain of the Four Rivers is mentioned in “Angels and Demons”.

Westminster Abbey – London, England

Westminster Abbey is a Gothic-style cathedral in London. It was recognized by UNESCO as one of the World Heritage Sites in 1987. Since 1066, Westminster Abbey has been the site of coronation ceremonies of the monarchs of Great Britain, and Northern Ireland. Also, it is the resting place of kings, queens, and many influential people in British history. After the release of “The Da Vinci Code“, the monastic leaders objected to the novel’s content because it was “theologically incorrect”.

Louvre Museum – Paris, France

The Louvre is a museum located in the historic center of Paris, on the banks of the Seine. The museum was established in 1793 with three wings – Denon, Sully, and Richelieu, in a space of about 73,000 m2. In particular, each wing has more than 70 rooms and large halls displaying artistic masterpieces such as the Statue of Venus, Mona Lisa, Statue of Liberty leading the people, etc. Especially, the museum now provides free virtual museum tour that you can see its online exhibitions right at home. It was once the palace of the kings of France. Thanks to “The Da Vinci Code“, the number of visitors who come to the Louvre museum has increased, in the search of the Holy Grail.

Washington Monument – Washington, D.C., United States

In “The Lost Symbol”, Robert Langdon finds himself incarcerated at the Washington Monument when he sees the Capitol in front of his eyes. In fact, the Washington Monument is a monument to the first President of the United States. It was built in two periods 1848-1854 and 1876-1884 in Washington, D.C. As a result, visitors can now notice the difference in gloss on the surface of the marble structure. When completed in 1885, the masterpiece designed by architect Robert Mills was the tallest building in the world with 169m in height.

The Boboli Gardens – Florence, Italy

The Boboli Gardens are located just behind the Pitti Palace. Actually, this park in Florence is an outdoor museum with large green spaces and a collection of sculptures. Above all, the most important is the famous cave made by Buontalenti. In addition, this place still holds the beautiful fountain of the Ocean, the fountain of the Neptune, and the steps at The Kaffeehaus,… In the “Inferno“, Robert Langdon discovered the first clue on the Botticelli map at this Boboli garden.

Hagia Sophia – Istanbul, Turkey

Hagia Sophia’s complicated history began when the emperor of Byzantine Justinian I built a magnificent church that overlooked the Golden Horn harbor in the 6th century. Later, it became a mosque under the Ottomans and a Turkish museum for the period 1934-2020. From 2020, it turned into a mosque again by the direction of the 12th President of Turkey.

With its splendid dome and four ornate watchtowers, Hagia Sophia is the most popular tourist attraction in Turkey today. Hagia Sophia, also called the Church of Divine Wisdom, is the location of the end of Robert Langdon’s journey in “Inferno“.

The Basílica de la Sagrada Família – Barcelona, Spain

Basilica de la Sagrada Familia is a masterpiece of postmodernist art in Barcelona (Catalunya, Spain). The church was designed by genius architect Antony Gaudi. However, nearly 100 years after his death, this magnificent 170-meter-tall structure has yet to be completed. Basilica Sagrada Familia was designated by UNESCO to be the World Heritage Site in 1984. In the “Origin“, this is the site where Robert Langdon found the password thanks to the last paragraph of the prophetic book The Four Zoas.

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao – Bilbao, Spain

Another famous place in Spain that appears in the novel “Origin” is the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Bizkaia. This work was designed by architect Frank Gehry with inspiration from cliffs, outcrops, ship shapes, flowing water. Furthermore, the architecture of this titanium museum also reflects the historical development of the shipbuilding and fishing industries in Bilbao. In addition, to the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum, visitors can admire the installations, fountains, or many beautiful sculptures.

Finally, are you interested in playing Robert Langdon and visiting places in Dan Brown’s books? With so many attractive destinations around the world, this could be an interesting bucket list for your next trip idea and plan. Enjoy, and have great trips ahead!

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