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Daily except Tues: May-Oct 9.30am-5pm; Nov-April 9.30am-12.30pm & 2-5pm; ?5.34; tel 01.60.71.50.70 . Some 60km south of Paris, the chateau of Fontainebleau , located in the middle of a magnificent forest, was built as a base for royal hunting expeditions. Its transformation into a luxurious palace only took place in the sixteenth century on the initiative of Francois 1er. The king imported a colony of Italian artists to carry out the decoration: among them Rosso il Fiorentino and Niccolo dell'Abate. The chateau continued to enjoy royal favour well into the nineteenth century; Napoleon spent huge amounts of money on it, as did Louis-Philippe. After World War II, when it was liberated from the Germans by General Patton, it served for a while as Allied military HQ in Europe. The chateau buildings , unpretentious and attractive despite their extent, have none of the architectural unity of a purpose-built residence like Chantilly. Their distinction is the sumptuous interiors worked by the Italians, notably the celebrated Galerie Francois-1er - which had a seminal influence on the subsequent development of French aristocratic art and design - the Salle de Bal, the Salon Louis-XIII, and the Salle du Conseil with its eighteenth-century decoration. The gardens are equally luscious. If you want to escape into the wilds, head for the surrounding Forest of Fontainebleau , which is full of walking and cycling trails, all marked on Michelin map 196 ( Environs de Paris ). Its rocks are a favourite training ground for Paris-based climbers. Getting to Fontainebleau from Paris is straightforward. By road it is 16km from the A6 autoroute (exit Fontainebleau). By train, it is fifty minutes from the Gare de Lyon to Fontainebleau-Avon station; from here bus #AB takes you to the chateau gates in a few minutes. For further information, contact the tourist office at 4 rue Royale (Mon-Sat 10am-6.30pm, Sun 10am-4pm; tel 01.60.74.99.99).
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