\b0 Situated to the south of Paris, on the edge of a vast forest, Fontainebleau derives its name
from a nearby spring of clear water called the \i Fontaine Belle-Eau\i0 . Since the twelfth century there has been a royal castle here, whose keep still stands. The palace we see today, made up of different buildings with no overall plan, owes a great d
eal to \b \ATXul1024 \cf4 \ATXht464 Francis \cf0 \ATXht0 I\b0 \ATXul0 who wanted to make it the symbol of a new style with the help of the best architects of his time and of Italian artists (\i Rosso Fiorentino,\i0 \i Primaticcio\i0 , and \i Niccol≥ de
ll'Abate\i0 ). The fruit of the king's ambitions can be seen in the gallery that bears his name, the grand staircase, and the ballroom, characteristic of the French Renaissance. A place that has played an important part in the history of France, Fontaine
bleau saw the birth of Kings Philip the Fair and Louis XIII, served as a prison for Pope Pius VII, and provided the backdrop to the abdication of Napoleon I and his farewell to the Imperial Guard in April 1814.\par
