France

France, read with the same slowness as Italy. It starts with the cathedrals, Chartres and Notre-Dame, and with what their restorations say about how we want a cathedral to look. The Loire, Normandy and Paris will follow.

A small child walks away down a side aisle of Chartres Cathedral, between blackened vaults and a half-cleaned pier, towards the bright nave at the far end

France

THE CATHEDRAL WITHOUT SHADOWS

I walked into Notre-Dame and found it flat. Then I discovered that the man who designed its light calls himself a sculptor of shadows.