PARIS — Carla Knorowski crossed Paris, Maine, off her list of destinations this week as she continued her quest to visit 47 cities and towns with that name and end her journey in the French capital in 2012.

The Paris Project has its roots in a trip Knorowski took with friends in the 1980s. One member of the group wanted to go to the City of Lights, which Knorowski wasn’t keen on seeing at first.

“I went there begrudgingly, and when I got there, I fell in love with it,” she said.

Knorowski was later reminded of Ernest Hemingway’s description of the city as “a movable feast” and decided to visit other places named Paris. The vice president for advancement at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago made a list of 47 cities and towns and began her quest in February 2009.

She’s taking notes on the people and places and plans to write a book on the experience.

“I’m trying but failing to write as I go along,” Knorowski said.

She said she researches each town ahead of time to determine places to see and people to meet, and tries to mirror the experience of living in the area for the time she is there. Between her arrival on Wednesday and her departure on Saturday, she met with Town Manager Philip Tarr and Board of Selectmen Chairman Raymond Glover.

She also visited the Hannibal Hamlin Memorial Library and Museum, local restaurants, McLaughlin Gardens and the Celebration Barn, among other sites.

Bruce Pecho, a friend of Knorowski’s and associate director of development at the University of Illinois at Chicago, has accompanied Knorowski for five of the 13 trips she has so far taken. He said the project allows a greater understanding of the areas and more personal connections than would be possible through online research and correspondence.

“You get there and you find things you never would have found if you hadn’t come in person,” he said.

Knorowski said interesting connections among the towns became apparent. The New Hampshire site was a logging camp for Paris Manufacturing in Maine. Hannibal Hamlin, vice president to Abraham Lincoln, was born in Paris; meanwhile, Lincoln’s legal work included a district encompassing Paris, Ill.

Both said meeting local people is the best part of the trips.

“They’re proud of their town,” Knorowski said. “They’re very quick to share, and they want us to have a wonderful experience.”

Knorowski said she tries to attend local festivals and school events during the expeditions and contribute to the community through volunteer work. In addition, she runs the 13-50 Foundation, an organization that presents American flags to nonprofits. She gave a flag and a peace pole to Tarr and Glover.

Knorowski plans to invite the people she’s met along the way to make the final trip with her to Paris, France. She is updating her progress on Facebook and Twitter, two social networking websites.

[email protected]