Obama and Hollande tour Monticello

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - President Obama and French President Francois Hollande toured Thomas Jefferson's plantation estate on Monday in a show of solidarity for Franco-American ties that have endured for more than two centuries despite the occasional tempest.

The visit to Monticello, home to America's third president, served to showcase a relationship that stretches back to the founding of the United States in the late 18th century.

Hollande, 59, who split from his partner, Valerie Trierweiler, last month after an affair, arrived solo for the first state visit hosted by Obama since he won a second term in 2012.

The two leaders will get down to business Tuesday with talks covering topics such as Iran, Syria, North Africa, and trade, followed by a joint news conference and a state dinner.

Monday was all about symbolism. Obama met Hollande at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington shortly after the French leader arrived from Paris, and together they flew aboard Air Force One to Charlottesville.

"Thomas Jefferson represents what's best in America, but as we see as we travel through his home, what he also represents is the incredible bond and the incredible gifts that France gave to the United States, because he was a Francophile through and through," Obama told reporters.

He said the house also represents the nation's complicated history since "slaves helped to build this magnificent structure."

Hollande noted the significant role played by a French general, the Marquis de Lafayette, in helping George Washington defeat the British colonial power.

The collaboration is a far cry from the strains of a decade ago, when France refused to join the Iraq war. The U.S. and France have cooperated in diplomacy on Syria and Iran, but do not always agree on economic issues.