A masterpiece of Italian Renaissance art can be found at peaceful Chaalis on the very doorstep of Paris, within an unimposing chapel concealing atmospheric frescoes by Primaticcio.

Nestled in Ermenonville Forest just north of Paris, the tranquil ruins of the Abbaye de Chaalis seem like an unlikely place to discover an Italian Renaissance masterpiece. But here, within an intact chapel in the grounds, lie frescoes that form the greatest body of religious-themed work by Francesco Primaticcio, a painter