Hard-Hearted

The Pont des Arts was the most-frequented and best-loved of the four pedestrian walkways that crossed the Seine. It was also by far the most venerable, as its first incarnation had seen the light of day under Napoleon – the original Napoleon, not the distant nephew who shamelessly exploited the legend of his notorious ancestor in order to follow in his footsteps as Emperor. An elegant metallic structure stepping daintily on six narrow stone perches set in the water, it linked the Louvre to the Institut de France and afforded one of the most picturesque views of the Ile de la Cité.