Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte in Maincy

You're standing at the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte in Maincy, about fifty-five kilometres southeast of Paris. The château is perfectly symmetrical and sits on a raised platform, surrounded by a moat full of water. On the garden side a big oval salon pushes forward, crowned by a huge slate dome with a lantern on top. An oval salon like that was a brand-new idea from Italy at the time.