Pizza House “La Fourchette”

Despite the fact that the great Armenian director Sergei Parajanov, alas, never managed to live on Armenian soil, although he had such plans, it was in Yerevan that his house-museum was opened. This country always treats all its children with tenderness and sincere love, even those who by the will of fate turned out to be prodigal. Parajanov was born in Georgia, spent a lot of time there, and lived in Moscow and Kyiv for a while. Even those people who are not familiar with the director’s work, according to Armenian tour operators, will be curious to visit the museum dedicated to him. Firstly, perhaps this will inspire them to watch several famous films. And secondly, Parajanov was not only a great master of cinematography, but also a great mystifier, a mocker, who first of all molded the space of his own life and created amazing absurd pictures. All this, of course, was reflected in his legacy, and therefore a visit to the museum turns from a decorous cultural event into a bright attraction.

Sergey Parajanov is a recognized master of avant-garde cinema, who introduced a new stage language into circulation. At the same time, all his techniques and images are nurtured by ancient Christian traditions and the centuries-old cultural heritage of Armenia. So with his pictures he paid tribute to his roots.

Parajanov’s works were also appreciated by foreign masters. Federico Fellini, Louis Aragon, Michelangelo Antonioni, Francois Truffaut and many others expressed their admiration for such films as The Color of Pomegranates and Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors. Among Russian masters, Tarkovsky and Vartanov highly valued his work. Some of the techniques used by Parajanov in his works were creatively rethought by other masters. So, despite some modern oblivion, one cannot help but note the influence of the master on the development of modern culture.

Although Parajanov was not lucky enough to live in the homeland of his ancestors – he was born in Tbilisi to an Armenian family – the director left his entire rich legacy in Armenia. Parajanov was an amazingly multifaceted personality – therefore his legacy did not consist only of works related to cinematography. Initially, he studied at the construction department of the Institute of Railway Transport, then took violin and vocal lessons at the Tbilisi and Moscow Conservatories, studied dance at the Tbilisi Opera House, but eventually chose cinema and graduated from VGIK. Parajanov drew brilliantly, made beautiful collages. In general, he turned all the living space around him into high art. Which allowed descendants to admire the rich legacy left by the master, but cost his loved ones dearly. Because of the craving for shocking, the inability, and even the unwillingness to adapt to the blurry, gray and amorphous body of the surrounding philistine masses, not only Parajanov suffered, but also his family.

His first marriage fell apart, although the spouses maintained a warm relationship, the son was raised by his ex-wife, although the boy often saw his father. As a result, Parajanov even spent several years in prison and a colony, accused of sodomy. Although most of his friends and acquaintances assume that the director was heterosexual, he could say anything in his unexpected mysteries and desire to shock others. And the reason for the arrest was a not entirely innocent joke that sounded in an interview with the director, published by one of the Danish newspapers – as if as many as 20 members of the Central Committee of the CPSU were thirsty for lovemaking with Parajanov. This, and a letter in defense of the Ukrainian intelligentsia, persecuted in the late 60s, cost Parajanov 4 years in prison. This extraordinary person, who always wanted to stand out, took the imprisonment hard. He could not adapt to prison customs, and the prisoners suspected that he asked for it himself in order to subsequently make a film about life in captivity. But it was this tragedy that gave the world the symbol of one of the cinematographic awards. A portrait of Pushkin, scratched with a nail on an aluminum kefir lid, had an amazing and adventurous journey before ending up in the hands of Federico Fellini. He liked the thing so much that he cast a silver medal in its likeness. Now such medals are awarded to winners of the Rimini festival.

Another prison work – a shroud painted with amazing biblical images, which Parajanov created especially for his cellmate, who died on the neighboring bunks, is now kept in a museum in Yerevan. In addition to this sad work, the museum’s exposition paints the image of an unusual person, demonstrating dolls, ceramics, collages, drawings and much more created by Parajanov during his life. In total, about six hundred of the master’s creations, made in various forms and styles, are collected here. In addition, the museum features two rooms where the creators of the museum were able to reconstruct the atmosphere and interior decoration of his home from the director’s personal belongings that were kept in his apartment in Georgia. This tour of Armenia will allow fans of Parajanov’s work to learn  

The perfect place where true fans of the Italian masterpiece called pizza can sit in a calm atmosphere is “La Fourchette”. This cozy corner of Yerevan charms with a cozy and homely, but at the same time surprisingly elegant atmosphere. Tour operators of Armenia include this place among the best restaurants in the city. The interior is divided into two halls. One is intended more for family gatherings, the second is suitable for friendly parties and allows visitors to smoke between meals. The halls are decorated in a surprisingly calm and at the same time unusual manner. On the walls, the plaster of delicate pastel tones alternates with dark brick inserts, the dark massive furniture looks very beautiful against the background of white starched tablecloths. The flickering warm light gives everything a surprisingly romantic atmosphere, and to complete the impression, small candles in glass vases wink at visitors on the tables. Bright posters and amazing photographs (which depict views of Italian cities and the Armenian capital) are used as decoration. There are also completely unique things here, for example, an old wine barrel or a wonderful clock made in the form of an old car. In one of the halls, in the niches, there are various books that you can leaf through while waiting for your order, reading a couple of paragraphs or looking at interesting illustrations.

The pizzeria treats its guests extremely tenderly. Ladies are always given a beautiful flower as a keepsake of their visit. There are many great toys for little guests, and so that children can eat with the same comfort as adults, they will be offered a high chair. In addition, the ceiling in the family room is decorated with thousands of small stars that exactly replicate the star map, so that children can endlessly study the bright points. Therefore, the restaurant is especially popular with family travelers, for example, from Russia, Europe or Uzbekistan, the prices here are only pleasing. There is also a special book for visitors, where anyone can leave a note about their impressions of visiting the restaurant in particular and the capital in general, and the staff will later decorate it with a photo of the guest, which will be taken right there. So color your tour of Armenia with such memories. If you want to celebrate a birthday here, the restaurant staff will decorate the hall themselves and completely free of charge. And in the evenings, various events are sometimes held, inviting musical groups to perform live music in the style of jazz, blues or Latin American melodies. Visitors will also be pleased with the availability of wireless access to the World Wide Web.

The Pizza House is rightfully proud of its cuisine. Moreover, the chefs are very careful to ensure that only fresh products that have passed all conceivable quality controls reach their tables. Moreover, some ingredients come here directly from Italy – the finest Parmesan cheese, the best olive oil and much more then end up on your plate in the form of a pizza circle. And this Italian masterpiece is presented here in all possible variations. There is even a special family offer for those cheerful companies that cannot decide which pizza they would like to try. The chef will make an amazing potpourri for you, consisting of various pieces. In addition to pizza, there is something else to pamper yourself with: soups, and not necessarily Italian, but also Armenian, as well as French, and hot dishes, and delicious snacks, and even hot sandwiches.

You can wash down all these delicacies with tea, green or black, tasty juice or something stronger. The choice of something stronger is truly worthy of a separate mention – these are various wines, both local and from France or Italy, excellent Armenian cognac, cheerful tequila and rum, sweet liqueurs, delicious beer, excellent cocktails and the inevitable vodka, as well as festive champagne.

It would be surprising if La Fourchette was not famous for its pastries. In addition to delicious pizza and airy desserts, local chefs also know the recipe for making fluffy and aromatic bread. So if you are a fan of flour – you can treat yourself to a hot crust.

After a busy day, you just don’t have the strength to go to a restaurant, but you still want to try pizza, then just order it to your hotel in Armenia (if it is in Yerevan). But it is better to come here, the restaurant is ready to treat you to breakfast – it opens at ten in the morning, and a late evening meal – the hospitable doors close only at midnight.

Contacts:

Tel.: (+374-10) 56 16 99

Mobile: (+374-77) 56 16 99

Address: RA, Yerevan, Amiryan 3

e-mail: La.pizza@mail.ru