CHARLOTTESVILLE, va. — From the polished copper cooking pots that Thomas Jefferson brought back from France to the dome atop Monticello, French President Francois Hollande should feel right at home Monday when he and President Barack Obama visit the third president’s mountaintop plantation.
Jefferson was smitten with France — its wine, food and architecture — and much of that affection is on full display at his former 2,500-acre estate overlooking Charlottesville.
Monticello, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was abuzz with activity Friday ahead of the visit, along with work on continuing archaeological projects aimed at revealing new layers of Jefferson’s life.
“I think it’s going to be really exciting to share Monticello, which has a heavy French accent, with President Obama and President Hollande,” said Leslie Bowman, CEO of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation.
This will be the first time a sitting president has visited Monticello with a current foreign head of state.
