All along the program, we will study the history, design, and preservation of gardens in the Ile-de-France, Normandy, and Touraine. We will journey from Medieval times, when gardens provided herbs and vegetables, into the Renaissance when they became places of pleasure ; the 17th c. when architects and gardeners imposed order upon nature to please kings and nobles ; the 18th c. when rich proprietors wanted gardens to imitate nature and the period from the French Revolution to the present, when elegant city parks were opened to the public.

french version