We present new deep color-magnitude diagrams (CMD) at two galactocentric distances, and Ca II triplet spectroscopy, of the Local Group dSph galaxy Fornax, obtained with the VLT and FORS1. These data are being used to reliably derive the star formation and chemical enrichment histories of this galaxy, and preliminary results are presented here: we discuss the characteristics of the stellar populations from the morphology of the CMD and describe the metallicity distribution of the individual stars. Finally, by combining these metallicities with the color of each star in the red-giant branch, we derive an age-metallicity relation for Fornax. The results are discussed in the context of the predictions of evolutionary models of dwarf galaxies.