South of St. Petersburg, in today’s Puschkin, is the splendid Catherine’s Palace, built by the Russian tsars for the tsarinas, Elizabeth and Catherine.

Magnificent frescos and decorative inlays offer but a small hint of the seemingly boundless wealth of the Russian tsars, a fuller indication of their extravagance unfolding with the appearance of generously-gilded interiors, extravagant art collections and the boldness of Baroque architecture manifesting itself in wide staircases and intriguing courtyards.