Fontainebleau, France — It is one of the fabulous castles of France, Fontainebleau just a 40-minute train ride from Paris. This castle was called home by all of the monarchs of France and their families from the 12th to the 19th centuries and each added their own touch, major or minor,  to the castle which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Surrounded by an abundant forest, it was Louis the VII’s hunting grounds and he had a lodge built there in the middle of the 12th century. 

Thirty-four sovereigns of France from the Capetian Louis VI the Fat (circa 1081-1137) to the Bonaparte Napoleon III (1808-1873) stayed there. It was also a castle that witnessed special family events. Philip IV (1268-1314) was born and died in the castle, Francis II of France (1544-1560), the son of Henry II, was also born there, Louis XIII (1601-1643) was born and baptized in the castle and Louis XV (1710-1774) was married there. Napoleon spent the last days of his reign at Fontainebleau abdicating there (for the first abdication) on April 4th, 1814.  He would write in his memoirs that it was the « true home of kings ». Today it remains a great place to visit for the entire family and it has an excellent restaurant on site, so you don’t need to interrupt your time there.

Francis I (1494-1547), a Renaissance patron of the arts and scholarship who transformed the royal chateau at Fontainebleau into a Renaissance-style residence that became one of his favorites, housed his mistress, Anne the Duchess of Etampes, there. And Napoleon I would say farewell to his Old Guard there from the horseshoe shaped staircase in the courtyard called the Farewell Courtyard or the Cour des Adieux in French. 

Henry IV 1553-1610), the « Good King » and first Bourbon king of France, added a large jeu de paume or indoor tennis court for playing what is known as real tennis or court tennis. The castle still has its jeu de paume, one of the few remaining in France, where the Real Tennis World Championships are held on a rotating basis. It is regarded as the oldest active trophy in international sport, pre-dating the America’s Cup.

And the castle, too, is surrounded by glorious gardens, a canal and a small lake. Willows and weeping willows, tulip trees from Virginia, magnolias and even sequoias are among the lustrous vegetation in the castle’s gardens. The beautiful, recently re-furbished  Jardin Anglais, a traditional English garden, with its carp pod, hidden walkways, foot bridges, woods and stream is welcoming for the very first time an exhibition of 18 contemporary artists, offering myriad surprises as one wends through the magnificent greenery. Entitled Grandeur Nature, the show of installation works was created in partnership with the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature (the museum of the hunt and nature) and the François Sommer Foundation. The contemporary outdoor art show is on until September 17th. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette. https://www.chateaudefontainebleau.fr/en/

See also: https://thegourmetgazette.com/2023/09/04/in-castle-shopping-at-the-chateau-of-fontainebleau/