Elaginskii Dvorets (Yelagin Palace), St. Petersburg

Set on the bank of Yelagin Island is a small palace bearing the same name as the island itself. After spending a peaceful afternoon on the island, many forget to tour this 18th century home, probably because it always appears closed. Itis not. There is a healthy exhibition of decorative applied arts inside. Built for Ivan Yelagin, a Marshall of the Imperial court, the palace's history shows a number of owners: from Yelagin to Orlov, who later sold it to Alexander I, who then gave it to his mother.