POST TOUR :
"Private family businesses in historic places and the history of France"
Monday June 17
Chambord Forest and Park
A ride in 4x4’s of the NATURA 2000 grounds of Chambord with Etienne Guillaumat, Chambord’s director of forestry and hunting.
When Francois 1er became king in 1515 he was already a passionate hunter and so decided to build Chambord in the heart of the Boulogne forest providing ideal hunting grounds. By enclosing it with a limestone wall, Chambord is still the largest walled forest and park in Europe covering 5,440 hectares - the size of Paris!
The park contains a large number of stags and boars for observation by the public. Only a few roe deer, about 100 Corsican mouflons and a wealth of regional forest animals and birds. The grounds include 200 hectares of agricultural fields, 160 hectares as prairie for boar and 200 hectares for the village. The rest is covered with oak and Scots pine. The clay soil holds the water to create ponds and marshes, thus an abundant flora that is biodiverse.
A brunch will be served at the Thibaudiere which is modeled on a Russian dacha, an inspiration of president George Pompidou. Facing a magnificent pond, it remains one of the hideaways of Chambord.
Domaine LE PORTAIL vineyards, Cheverny
A short visit with the owners Michel and Nicole Cadoux of this small family run entreprise that was once a monastery. The 35 hectares of vines are produced using sustainable methods certified TERRA VITIS. The visit will be followed by a tasting of their various Cour-Cheverny Appellation wines using Francois I’s Romorantin grapes.
Chateau de CHEVERNY, Cheverny
https://www.chateau-cheverny.com/en/
The estate of the chateau de Cheverny has been owned by the same family since 1315. The present day classical building from 1625 that has been lived in continuously will be shown to us by owners Marquis Charles-Antoine and Marquise Constance de Vibraye. In 1922 it was one of the first chateau to open its doors to the public displaying its wonderful range of well preserved furniture and interior decoration.
Hergé fans will recognise that Cheverny was the inspiration for Captain Haddock’s Marlinspike Hall - a separate building houses a museum dedicated to the comicstrip!
As well as the biodiverse park, the grounds hold a kennel of 100 Anglo-French hunting hounds - the hunting heritage is very much alive with chasse à courre twice a week.
Charles-Antoine will discuss with us the management of a private domaine with 350,000 visitors each year and open 365 days of the year.
Chateau and thermal springs of St. DENIS sur LOIRE, St-Denis sur Loire
http://www.saintdenissurloire.com (French only)
A sacred fountain for the druids, the thermal springs located here were later visited by Louis XII with his court as well as Francois I, Henri II and his wife Catherine de Medicis who later restored the springs. Marie de Medici, the wife of Henri IV, carried out further improvements to these waters reputed to have medicinal benefits. After nearly 150 years of neglect the springs were restored in 1850 and an elegant pavilion was built. Further developments to build a “Las Vegas, Le Touquet and Deauville” (Le Journal de Dimanche) style complex were fortunately blocked by public pressure.
The grounds of the chateau have been owned by the Hurault family since 1341 with various restoration projects of the chateau over the centuries.The Neo-classical style building we see today dates from 1804. Research is ongoing to restore the chateau as well as the gardens of the 18th century.
The chateau offers meeting rooms for congresses and seminars, a beautiful suite in the chateau to stay as well as stays in the gite in the grounds.
Dinner at the Restaurant Grand St Michel at the Relais de Chambord with a view of the Chateau de Chambord with Michelin recognised chef Alexandre Trazères.
Tuesday June 18
© David Darrault
Chateau de Villesavin, Tour-en-Sologne
http://www.chateau-de-villesavin.fr/?page_id=11234
The chateau you see today looks practically the same as it was when built in 1527 by Jean Breton. He was the finance secretary under Francois I who entrusted him with overseeing the building of the chateau de Chambord. Francois I offered these grounds to Jean le Breton who used the same master builders from Chambord to build this chateau as well as his other home Chateau de Villandry.
This private chateau in now owned by the 3rd generation Count and Countess de Sparre who have opened a museum dedicated to weddings, a museum of horse drawn carriages, a mini animal farm, the hiring of the orangerie for private receptions and a treasure hunt in the chateau as well as many other activities throughout the year.
We shall have a shortstop visit here.
Chateau de la Boudaisière, Montlouis-sur-Loire
https://www.labourdaisiere.com (French only)
There is little that remains of the medieval fort built to defend Tours from the attacks of the English and the Renaissance chateau that was subsequently built over the fort has also gone through many modifications throughout the years and seen many different owners. The present owner, Prince Louis-Albert de Broglie, acquired the chateau in 1991 and will welcome us on our visit.
Louis-Albert de Broglie has completely renovated the chateau to offer 29 beautifully decorated rooms available to stay. Visitors are welcome to the tea salon or the tomato bar during the summer months where tomato juice, garden fruits and herbal teas are served all coming from the biological vegetable garden. The chateau also offers rooms for seminars, weddings, private receptions and an underground reception hall in the Tufa rock.
A highlight of the grounds is the unique biological collection of 700 varieties of tomato that come in all shapes and colours! Another part of the grounds holds 400 different varieties of the biodiverse Dahlia and nearby lies an orchard. All gardens have explanatory panels for the public. Various agricultural fairs and music festivals take place all year round.
A micro farm was set up in 2013 as an ambitious social project that promotes agriculture based on the principles of agroecology and permaculture.
Lunch will be served at the Tomato Bar.
Chateau de Villandry, Villandry
https://www.chateauvillandry.fr/en/
The chateau de Villandry was one of the last built in Renaissance style by Jean Breton the finance secretary for François 1er (see Chateau de Villesavin) but still includes a tower of the previous Medieval fortress. The Marquis de Castellane made various Neoclassical renovations in the 18th century which were successful in the interior but rather deformed the façade. We can thank Dr. Joachim Carvallo, owner as of 1906, for giving Villandry its former Renaissance grandeur. It is his grandson, Henri Carvallo, who now carries on the maintenance of the chateau and gardens open to the public since 1920. Henri will greet us for a presentation of this unique place and how to combine private family life with 350 thousand visitors a year.
The chateau de Villandry is one of the jewels of the Loire thanks to its splendid gardens. Already Jean Breton made way for ornamental and kitchen gardens that already then earned quite a reputation and the Marquis de Castellane enlarged them to lay out a formal garden with an ornamental lake, flower beds, orangeries and terraces. When Joachim Carvallo took over he painstakingly reinvented the gardens to what we see today - the salon of crosses, love and music. In 2009 the gardens became solely organic with the philosophy of “observe to prevent, prevent to avoid..pesticides” and listed as a LPO Refuge for birds and more recently, bats. Look for the website for useful gardening advice! The chateau and gardens are open all year round, through all seasons.
Tea will be served at "La Douce Terrace".
Royal Abbey of Fontevraud
The sustainable city where ancient stones meet cutting edge modernity.
Hospitality is prime at the Abbey of Fontevraud as inspired by St Benedict and based on the philosophy of Gandhi: “A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him”. From motion pictures on digital screens and Ipads to access the rich history of the site, contemporary art collections, dynamic cultural programmes, a modern art museum (opening 2020), musical concerts ranging from rock to baroque the customer is certainly well served.
Sustainable development is everywhere from the Green Energy Hub heating system using wood-chip fired boilers and photovoltaic panels to plants, birds and bio-waste, so much so that the abbey has managed to meet the requirements for ISO 26 000, a first for a historical site. The abbey is a classified LPO bird sanctuary thanks to the practices of biodiversity, the sheep enjoy eco-pasture, beehives provide honey, waste is recycled to use as fertiliser and cars used on the site are electric.
As well as all this, there is of course the historic heritage of this thousand year old abbey. The Romanesque kitchens, the effigies of Eleanor of Aquitaine and her son Richard the Lionheart, the 36 abbesses who ran this “ideal city” that included people from all social backgrounds and the horrors of the prison from the time of the French Revolution to WW2. In 1975 nine centuries of life behind closed doors was put to an end when those doors opened to visitors.
We shall be staying 2 nights in the tranquil silence of the abbey, walking alone through the monastery as night falls. The rooms respect the old stones and yet offer the cosy comfort of high quality bedding and furniture made with respect for the environment.
Dinner will be held at the restaurant where methods fit perfectly with the sustainable philosophy of the abbey as initiated by Chef Thibaut Ruggeri winner of the Bocuse d’Or and awarded a Michelin star in 2017.
© David Darrault
© David Darrault
Wednesday June 19
We start the day with a drive along the wild section of the Loire river to Saumur, home of the eponymous wine.
Langlois-Chateau winery, St-Hilaire-St-Florent, Saumur
http://www.langlois-chateau.fr/en/home/
The house of Langlois-Chateau was begun by the couple Edouard Langlois and Jeanne Chateau in 1912. The production of sparkling wines started well but was interrupted by World War I where Edouard Langlois was killed and awarded the Military Cross. Jeanne Chateau, the young widow, took over the management of the business later aided by her son and son-in-law. In 1973 the house of Bollinger, recognising the quality of the wines, acquired a majority ownership and this led to the rapid growth of the enterprise.
All the conditions in the Anjou-Saumur region are present to produce excellent wines: diverse soils, mostly limestone, quality grape varieties (chenin for white and cabernet franc for red wines), a temperate climate and of course the ancestral know-how of wine making! Our own knowledge of wine production shall improve having followed the 4 acts offered to us by Langlois-Chateau and the obligatory tasting!
Chateau de Brezé, Brezé, Saumur
https://www.chateaudebreze.com and Le Courrier de l’Ouest.
Considered as one of the most intriguing chateaux of the Loire thanks to its underground ‘fortress’ consisting of steep sloping galleries, large halls and cavities among which sits the largest known underground medieval bakery in France. The dry moats are also an impressive sight and are some of the deepest in France - three 16th century wine presses stand here and are still functional.
Built between the 11th and 19th centuries when it is was extensively modified, the chateau lies in the heart of a vineyard producing a wine with a unique taste thanks to the high calcium content in the soil (the wines have a very low pH).
Activities held at the chateau include medieval jousts, Easter egg hunts, Halloween frights and Christmas markets as well as hiring of rooms for private functions. The owners, Mr. Jean and Mrs. Katrine de Colbert, descendants of Louis XIV’s minister, opened the chateau to the public in 2000 and more recently some private apartments. This required a huge investment much of which is not visible to the public and running it is like managing a business enterprise (that receives close to 100 thousand visitors a year).
Lunch will be served with its unique wines from the surrounding vineyards.
Le Saut aux Loups : Mushroom Growing in Troglodyte caves, Montsoreau, Saumur.
http://www.troglo-sautauxloups.com
Troglodyte caves have existed in the valley since prehistory. From the Middle ages to the late 19th century Tufa limestone rock was extensively used for the building of chateaux and churches in the valley creating kilometres of Tufa caves all along the valley that were used as dwellings for both people and animals including wolves, hence the name here, “the jump to the wolves”. When the excavation of Tufa rock ceased in the mid 19th century, the vast galleries here covering 2 hectares were converted to mushroom growing. This tradition still continues today now allowing 35 000 visitors a year to discover the different stages of mushroom growing.
The temperature in the caves is a constant 13˚C . Do remember to bring adequate clothing!
Informal Dinner at the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud including a visit by night of the abbey with the history of France as a theme.
Thursday June 20
Departure 10:00am
Bus back to Angers train station (1 hour) and then Nantes airport (2 hours).
For those with time to spare in Angers or with the use of a car, please consult the tab on "Thursday" for some recommended visits in the centre of in the vicinity of Angers.
