Twenty kilometres southwest of Paris, the royal town of Versailles is renowned for the Palace of Versailles , built for Louis XIV, and, today, one of the most visited monuments in France. Envious of the chteau built by his finance minister, Fouquet, at Vaux-le-Vicomte, the young Louis XIV determined to outdo him. He recruited the design team of Vaux-le-Vicomte - architect Le Vau, painter Le Brun and gardener Le Ntre - and ordered something a hundred times the size. The result was Versailles, the apotheosis of French regal indulgence, and even if the grotesque decor and blatant...
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