Why Monet Settled in Giverny

After years of wandering in pursuit of light, Monet settled in Giverny in 1883. He had spotted the lovely village from a train window and came to see it for himself. By 1883 he was starting to win recognition, but money was still tight. Painting was expensive, and traveling from place to place to paint added up in fares. On top of that, he had a large family of nine to support, which made raising the children a struggle.

Luckily, Giverny was a hill village where housing was cheap, and a large house, big enough for a big family, happened to be looking for a tenant. He rented it and moved in. That house is the one you're heading to now. Monet, who seemed the last person to settle anywhere, stayed for a full 43 years, which tells you how much the place meant to him.

He had chased light as if hunting nature, but once he settled in Giverny he stopped hunting and invited nature to come to him instead. He employed several gardeners, but he also became one himself, planting trees, importing seeds and tending flowers. On what had been marshland, he brought in water and built a pond. This is the famous water garden where he painted his water lily series. In front of the house lies the flower garden, spread with countless blooms, and an underground passage leads to the water garden. Time to step into his paintings.