Bourgogne-Franche-Comté · Yonne, France

Château d'Ancy-le-Franc

The purest Italian Renaissance palace in France — designed by Sebastiano Serlio, theorist of architecture to Francis I, as a perfect square around a courtyard of rhythmic pilasters. Within: one of the largest ensembles of 16th-century murals in France, by artists of the Fontainebleau school.

At a glance

Built: 1542–1550
Style: Italian Renaissance palace
Commissioned by: Antoine III de Clermont, designed by Sebastiano Serlio
Signature feature: Serlio's courtyard — Italian theory built in Burgundian stone
The murals: Among the largest 16th-century painted interiors surviving in France
The architect: Sebastiano Serlio's major built work in France
Rivalry: Contemporaries ranked its decoration with Fontainebleau's
Visiting: Open to visitors (seasonal calendar)