48 hours around Fontainebleau

Climbers who wait feverishly for the weekend to climb the cliffs of the Fontainebleau forest generally have little opportunity to devote themselves to its history. They don't have time to walk past the château, or even to pick mushrooms. These passionate Bleausards seek out remarkable spots, some of the most famous in France. They rub shoulders with the Marie-Rose, on the Bas-Cuvier site, or The Island, at Coquibus-Rumont. Their jargon escapes the layman, and their community exchanges information on specialized sites such as Climbingaway or Fanatic-climbing, while Bleau.info provides the essentials of the routes. The history of this forest is nevertheless memorable. In the Middle Ages, it was a hunting ground for hounds, and packs of hounds and spaniels were more often heard here than 4x4s. Although the château's origins lie in the Middle Ages, it was the enlightened monarch François I who gracefully transformed it into a sumptuous Italian-style palace. Louis XIII was born here, under the benevolent eye of his father Henri IV, and Marie-Antoinette had her famous Turkish boudoir built here. Napoleon made it his imperial residence, affectionately calling it the "house of centuries". It was here, too, that he abdicated in April 1814, gathering his old guard for a farewell before his exile to Elba. Painting began here as early as the 16th century. The École de Fontainebleau went through two periods: under Francis I - with Rosso Fiorentino, Le Primatice, Noël Jallier and Jean Goujon - and then, in the 17th century, in a movement later described as Mannerist. This movement embellished not only the Château de Fontainebleau, but also the elegant villas in the surrounding area. Almost at odds with Mannerism, another trend developed at the very beginning of the 19th century. Parisian painters, led by Corot, were thirsty for spontaneity and rural scenes. Close to the capital, the forest of Fontainebleau and its charming villages - Barbizon, Bourron-Marlotte, Montigny-sur-Loing - offered dreamy landscapes in which to express this naturalist revival. After Corot, other artists stayed in Barbizon: Millet, Daubigny, Théodore Rousseau - who brought his friend George Sand here - and, a little later, Courbet. A stay in Fontainebleau soaks up all these eras. Despite its imposing château, Fontainebleau lives with the times, in the age of terraces and pizzerias, and boasts its specialty, fontainebleau, a blend of fresh cow's cheese and whipped cream. In its central street, Barbizon retains the precious allure of a painters' village, with numerous evocations and charming mosaics depicting paintings done in the area. Bourron-Marlotte remembers the visits of Monet and Cézanne, as well as Émile Zola, who wrote L'Assommoir here. Continue on to Moret-sur-Loing to discover a superb medieval town, with its gates, beautiful Gothic church, Renaissance facades and old half-timbered houses. Sisley settled here in 1882, worked and lived here until his death in 1899. A guided tour is dedicated to him. M. E.