INDIANAPOLIS — Tour guides are a great way to learn about the Olympic host country. They show you the sites and give you the history — but there is only one tour guide in France that has wings.
"I'm an opera singer, and I reveal the souls of monuments," said Veronica Antonelli, who draws attention everywhere she goes.
"Music is universal," Antonelli said. "Everybody can understand it. Everybody can sing."
The wings bring you in. People stay for the voice.
"When I sing, I take people with me. I send them love. It's not love that I have — it's my voice. My voice is a gift of life," Antonelli said.
Antonelli has created a unique tour in Montmartre.
She leads you up the famous hill, where you see outdoor cafes, the Basilica and amazing views. Antonelli will stop along the journey, including at a church, and ask her group to close their eyes as she sings.
"I just want people to test, experiment my voice without seeing anything," Antonelli said. "Before I was born, my grandmother said, 'she will have a beautiful voice.'"
Antonelli has been singing her entire life and entertaining people all over the world.
"I was always singing," Antonelli said.
One of her most stirring performances took place on her apartment balcony. She was battling COVID-19 during the Paris lockdown.
"I just wanted to help people who could be lonely as I was and to give them strength, thanks to my voice," Antonelli said.
She sings in a dozen languages, lending musical beauty to historical places in Montmartre.
"My second job that I created is to reveal the souls of monuments. I do it by playing with the acoustics of the places," Antonelli said.
She chose one location on Montmartre because her voice travels up and down the grates on the ground, and it echoes off the walls.
At the famous Montmarte wall, where "I Love You" is written in hundreds of languages, she sings a familiar song.
"'Carmen' is one of the most famous operas played in the world, so it's very important for me to sing it," Antonelli said.
If you come to France, you will find plenty of knowledgeable tour guides — but if you come to Paris, look for the wings.
"Singing is breathing," Antonelli said.
Chances are, you will hear this opera singer before you see her.
"I love to make people sing. It's like street art," Antonelli said. "It appears at a certain time, and then, it's finished."