Private Tours LOIRE Loire Valley : Renaissance
Advised tours : THE RENAISSANCE IN THE LOIRE VALLEY
These programs are given as an example, they can be modified depending on the pick up location and on your interests.
TOUR 1 :
Chambord / Blois / Amboise
TOUR 2 :
Chenonceau / Azay-le-Rideau / Villandry
THE RENAISSANCE IN THE LOIRE VALLEY
The Italian Renaissance of the 16th Century influenced the architecture of the Royal house of France. This was quickly seen in the Loire Valley as aristocrats started to build numerous castles and fortified country houses in this green and lush valley. Most of these majestic buildings have survived to this day and can be seen by visitors to the region where the graceful architecture and beautiful tended gardens are on show, examples are the Chateaux of Chenonceau, Chambord and Villandry. Leonardo Da Vinci was a guest of the French King for four years in the Clos Luce in Amboise.
Advised ToursCHAMBORD :
The Chateau of Chambord, with 440 rooms, 365 fire places and 84 staircases was built by the extravagant King Francis I, starting in 1519. The figures bear testament to the immensity of the project, one of the largest pieces being the main double-helix staircase located in the centre of the Chateau. The exorbitant cost of the wars being fought at the time meant that little money was left for building work on the Chateau which progressed at a slow pace. This meant that Francis never saw the completion of his work. However, it was finished to such a high standard that even today only one word can describe this place: MONUMENTAL.
CHENONCEAU :
The Chateau de Chenonceau, officially named the « Chateau des Dames », was given by King Henry II to his mistress Diane de Poitiers. However, following his death in 1559, his widow, Catherine de Medicis, reclaimed the Chateau in the name of her dead husband. This chateau, built on a bridge spanning the River Cher, is one of the most impressive of all the Chateaux found in the Loire Valley, by the complexity of its architecture, the beauty of its gardens and the magnificence of its many and varied rooms. It will allow you to fall back to the times of Princes and Princesses.
AZAY-LE-RIDEAU :
Comme de nombreux châteaux dans la Vallée de La Loire, le Château d’Azay-Le-Rideau évoque la transition entre le style gothique et le style Renaissance. Vous serez subjugués par la magnifique tour d’escalier s’élevant sur quatre étages qui fut à l’époque une audacieuse innovation. Ebloui par ce véritable joyau de l’architecture, Honoré de Balzac prêta au Château d’Azay le surnom de « diamant taillé à facettes serti par l’Indre », insistant ainsi sur le cadre unique environnant.
AMBOISE :
Another mixture of the Gothic and Renaissance styles of architecture, this Chateau was beautified by King Francis I, who imported here Italian style. He invited numerous talented artists, including Leonardo da Vinci who spent the last years of his life in Amboise, at the Clos Lucé. He was later buried in the Chapel Saint-Hubert of the Chateau of Amboise.
BLOIS :
Charming old town overlooking the Loire river, Blois was made a royal residence by Louis XII. In December 1588, during the war fought between the new Protestant and the old Catholic churches, King Henry III ordered the assassination of his cousin, the Duke de Guise, in the Chateau to prevent him acceding to the throne. This, however, was a bad precedence as the following year Henry III was stabbed here by the monk Clement. The makeup of the Chateau surrounding its central courtyard shows four main different architectural styles reflecting its expansion since it was built. The exterior still shows an impressive decoration equally matched inside.
VILLANDRY :
Situated in a charming village, the Chateau of Villandry was built in 1536 on the site of an existing medieval castle, the keep of which can still be visited. It was also one of the last major chateaux to be built in the Loire Valley. Since the start of the 20th Century, it has been owned by the Carvallo family who has beautifully restored the gardens to suit the Chateau. These gardens are made up around water gardens, herb gardens and also medicinal gardens, as well as a vegetable patch which will astound you with its geometric layout and striking colours.
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