Musée d'arts de Nantes

One of the major regional fine-art collections in France, this museum occupies a grand nineteenth-century palace expanded by a luminous contemporary extension. Its holdings range from early Italian and Flemish paintings to Impressionism, modern art, and challenging contemporary works. Skylit galleries around a central courtyard allow natural light to bathe the paintings. A separate cube of translucent marble houses temporary shows, and the museum's careful blend of old and new architecture is itself a draw for visitors.