Château et Jardins de Villandry

The Château de Villandry is the last of the great Loire châteaux built during the Renaissance in the Loire Valley. All that remains of the ancient feudal fortress built not far from Tours is the keep (where, in 1189, Henry II Plantagenet of England acknowledged his defeat by Philip Augustus, King of France). Jean Le Breton, minister to François I, was responsible for its French Renaissance-style architecture: arcaded galleries, richly decorated pilasters, steeply pitched roofs, etc. After alterations in the 18th century, Joachim Carvallo (a doctor at the Paris Faculty of Medicine) and Ann Coleman (heiress to American steel magnates) undertook a major restoration of Villandry's architecture. Their great-grandson, Henri Carvallo, now manages the estate and its famous gardens. Beyond the monument itself, the Château de Villandry is best known, both in France and around the world, for its wonderful gardens. Adults and children alike will enjoy strolling around and taking photos of the Renaissance kitchen garden, the ‘Gardens of Love’, the water garden, the medicinal plant garden, the maze, and, of course, the exuberant sun garden. Every day, the estate's gardeners tend to the vegetables in the greenhouse, prune the rose bushes and box trees, and care for all the plants and trees using organic methods. Many species of birds thrive in this site, which is classified as an LPO (League for the Protection of Birds) refuge. A visit to the Château de Villandry also reveals beautiful 18th-century interiors and a collection of antique Spanish paintings throughout its rooms. Located on the Loire by bike cycle route between Tours and Saumur, Villandry is often a popular stop for cycle tourists before continuing on to the châteaux of Langeais, Azay-le-Rideau and Chinon, also in Indre-et-Loire. Every year from late November to early January, a magical display can be seen as part of Christmas magic in the Land of Châteaux.