The Sounding Forest : La Fontaine’s fables at Vaux-le-Vicomte
Since September, a new trail has invited visitors to sit in the hollow of a tree and listen to the fables of Jean de La Fontaine, voiced by French artists Laurent Stocker and Clara Ysé. The path winds through a kilometre of woodland, past carved cedars, all the way to the Pont de Mons, an area long closed to the public. The trail is open every day, at no extra charge.
A walk to listen to, in the hollow of the cedars
Some gardens are made to be admired; others, to be listened to. In the shade of majestic carved cedars, La Forêt Sonore (the ‘Sound Forest’) offers something simple and rare: sit down, alone or with someone, and lend an ear. From the hollow of the trunk, a voice rises and recites a fable. Time slows down, and the forest becomes a stage.
Designed for young and old alike (from age 6), the trail can be enjoyed at your own pace, with family, with friends or on your own: a quiet interlude during your visit.
La Fontaine’s fables, brought to life by today’s voices
The verses were chosen and performed by two contemporary artists, Laurent Stocker and Clara Ysé. Fables that generations of French children have learnt by heart find a new presence in their voices, faithful to the text yet entirely of today. Among them is The Tortoise and the Hare, whose moral could almost have been written for this trail.
« Rien ne sert de courir ; il faut partir à point. »
“There’s no use in running; what matters is setting off at the right time.”
— Jean de La Fontaine, The Tortoise and the Hare, 166
A tribute to Nicolas Fouquet’s ‘poetic pensions’
La Forêt Sonore is no accident of place. In the 17th century, Vaux-le-Vicomte was already a home for artists: Molière wrote here, Lully composed here, and Nicolas Fouquet granted the writers he supported ‘poetic pensions’. Jean de La Fontaine was one of them. It was for Fouquet that he began Le Songe de Vaux (The Dream of Vaux), and after Fouquet’s arrest in 1661, he addressed a famous elegy to the nymphs of Vaux, pleading his patron’s cause. Bringing his fables to life in the estate’s forest carries on this dialogue between the place and its artists, more than three and a half centuries later.
To the Pont de Mons, a hidden corner revealed
The path winds for a kilometre through the woods to the Pont de Mons. Long closed to the public, the area is now open for walks, offering a fresh perspective on the garden designed by André Le Nôtre, seen from its wooded edges.
Practical information
- Every day, 10am to 6pm
- Free access, at no extra charge
- Recommended from age 6
- A woodland walk of about 1 km
- Not suitable for visitors with reduced mobility
- Opening times for the forest trails may change depending on weather conditions
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