Few visitors to Versailles today realize that in its heyday under Louis XIV the palace’s dazzling architectural splendors and matchless artistic treasures were often eclipsed by the products of the Potager du Roi, the Sun King’s 23-acre kitchen garden on the palace grounds. Green peas, for instance, were in 17th-century France a delicacy, a much coveted Italian import comparable to truffles today. And thanks to the efforts of the Potager’s visionary chief gardener, Jean-Baptiste de la Quintinie, they became a highlight of Louis’s banquets and an obsession of his court. “The craze for peas continues apace,” the Marquise de Maintenon reported in 1696. “The anticipation of eating them, the pleasure of having eaten them, the joy of eating them again: these are the three topics that have preoccupied our Princes for the past four days now… It’s a fashion, a frenzy.”
Three centuries later the Potager is again a hive of activity, and not just on the bright spring morning when T&C swooped in with enough haute couture finery to rival the court of Louis XIV. Today it is also a Center of Excellence for climate resilience, one of the pillars of a five-year, $15 million initiative quietly launched by the World Monuments Fund to study the conservation of cultural heritage sites, including historic gardens, in the face of climate change.
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Denne historien er fra Summer 2024-utgaven av Town & Country US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Jersey, JE ΤΙΜΕ
Nearly 50 years ago a museum opened in Paris.
THE HUNGER GAMES
Two former bons amis grew up in the same expensive suburb and cut their teeth together in the Paris nightclub scene. Then they launched competing restaurant empires, and the gloves came off. Now one of them is facing a suspended prison sentence and a huge fine. Welcome to the city's most delicious grudge match.
HIDDEN in Plain Sight
T&C was invited into the private archives and secret workshops of Paris, to glimpse the treasures that have made this city famous for its style and craftsmanship. It's a reputation worth fighting for.
GUARDIAN of Objects
Laura Kugel is the go-to art dealer for the world's most discerning clients, but her family's Paris wonderland is open to all. Come inside, won't you?
Ecole! Elysée! SCANDALE!
The path to the French White House requires a political education at one of the country's elite universities. As controversy swirls around Sciences Po-class treason, #MeToo à la française, creeping le wokisme-will its grip on power finally slip?
Are There Still Mysteries in Paris?
Surely not, in the world's most visited city! And yet: Why is the Louvre called the Louvre? Why do the upper stories of its 17th-century buildings tilt in? Why do even familiar streets feel so enticing, unknown? One thing is clear: So many of us return because the City of Light is really one of mesmerizing shadows.
High SEAS
How seductive is a cruise on an ultraluxury ship (yes, that's a category) like the new Regent Seven Seas Grandeur? So much so that a 132-day sailing sold out in three hours. It was time to investigate.
The Cruise Cure
One definition of bliss at sea is padding down a ship's hallway from your suite to the spa in a robe and slippers. Here's what awaits.
Only a Day to Spare?
These hotel spas-mini-me's of destination, health retreats punch way above their weight. So, if you're in the neighborhood...
So, Where Do You Ride in Paris?
A fancy equestrian's guide to the best of Gallic galloping.