The Loire Valley ChâteauxDeparture by coach towards the Château d’Azay-le-Rideau. Built on an island in the middle of the Indre River, the structure as it stands today was erected during the reign of Francis I by a wealthy financier, Gilles Berthelot, who sought to combine Italian innovations with French architectural art. Listed as a historic monument, the Château d'Azay-le-Rideau embodies all the refinement of an early French Renaissance château. Upon arrival, admire the monumental and innovative grand staircase with its straight ramp, a true architectural treasure. Your visit will also lead you to the beautifully restored Biencourt Salon, a testament to 19th-century French sophistication and lifestyle. Be charmed by the ambiance and decoration reminiscent of aristocratic residences of the 19th century! Philippe Lesbahy’s bedroom, the lady of the house in the 16th century, will immerse you in a purely Renaissance atmosphere. This space showcases the craftsmanship of the period, including reed weaving—a unique curiosity of Azay-le-Rideau used for aesthetically insulating walls. Here, the refined interiors have been recreated through extensive restoration work based on archival records, as evidenced by the reproduction of the bed textiles, hand-embroidered with gold and silver threads. Continuation to Villandry for lunch. In the afternoon, enjoy a stroll through the gardens of the Château de Villandry: spread across three levels, they combine aesthetics, diversity, and harmony. Then, visit the Château de Villandry. Through its furniture, décor, and ambiance, it stands as a living testimony to French heritage. When Jean Le Breton acquired the Villandry estate, the building was a medieval fortress. The defensive architecture was softened, opened to the outside, and enriched with Renaissance decorative elements. In the 18th century, the Marquis de Castellane settled in Villandry, undertaking extensive renovations to transform the building into a comfortable, warm, and luminous residence, characteristic of the art of living of that era. Joachim Carvallo and Ann Coleman saved the estate, which had fallen into disrepair by the late 19th century, and launched a restoration campaign to return it to its Renaissance state. Henri Carvallo, the current owner of Villandry, continues his ancestors' legacy by balancing the preservation of this unique heritage with enhancing the estate for the enjoyment of visitors. PLEASE NOTE The order of the visits can change. Times are approximate.
