Travel France: Touraine
With a hilltop location, far-reaching views over the River Loire and lots of potential for expansion – it’s not hard to see why Charles VIII chose to make the château at Amboise his royal residence at the end of the fifteenth century.
The department of Indre-et-Loire, or Touraine as it is more commonly known, has an indecent concentration of France’s fine châteaux – the royal château of Amboise being just one of many of the Loire Valley greats – and for good reason. This lush green fertile heartland of central France has the luxury of four different rivers traversing it, providing peaceful calm and buzzing activity in equal abundance.
The local creamy tufa stone combined with the steely grey slate that is so ideal for roofs, encouraged elegant and refined building; the flawlessly tasteful combination of pale stately stone and shiny blue-grey slate is in evidence everywhere from isolated great châteaux that appear from nowhere, to impressive town houses that line the river banks and modest dwellings in hidden villages.
The royal château at Amboise dominates the riverbank and it was the foresight of Charles VIII that transformed what was at the time a medieval fortress, into an extravagant Gothic royal court. This enterprising monarch can also be credited for bringing the Renaissance to France and it was one of his successors, François I, who persuaded the Renaissance deity, Leonardo da Vinci to town. Thanks to a promise of luxurious lodgings and a handsome salary, the renowned artist spent the last three years of his life happily ensconced in the beautiful Clos Lucé manor house, just a stone’s throw from the royal château in Amboise.
Today, the remarkable creamy stone and orange-red brick manor house makes for a fascinating visit and pays homage to da Vinci’s life. Excerpts of his writing are reproduced as sound-bites on the walls and the basement is dedicated to his many machines. A walk in the tranquil, landscaped park will bring you face to face with life-size mock-ups of his inventions to leave you unequivocally impressed by the genius of the man who was four centuries ahead of his time.
SALON DE THÉ
The pretty town of Amboise is dotted with half-timbered houses and narrow streets that radiate out from the foot of the castle, and is a delight to explore. Enjoy a spot of lunch at what is an Amboise institution, Maison Bigot. This family business, founded in 1913, has been run by successive generations of hard-working Bigot women and everything on offer at the pâtisserie/chocolaterie/salon de thé has been made on the premises. Indulge in buttery savoury tartes followed by hand-made ice cream and finish off with a choice selection of fine chocolates for a wonderfully decadent refuelling.
Another great Loire institution is, of course, wine and there are plenty of dégustations of which you can avail yourself. A visit to Damien Delecheneau’s domaine, just outside Amboise, is something a little out of the ordinary and quite different to the glossy, slick affairs you might be used to. The young vigneron works his family’s vines having taken over the reins from his father in 2002 and sells his Domaine la Grange Tiphaine wines either sur place or to local restaurants, with a small quantity sold to export.
At just 28, Damien has a clear vision for the 17 or so wines he produces. He works only 11 hectares of vines at a production level of barely two thirds the full capacity so his is most definitely a philosophy of quality over quantity. He produces both AOC Touraine-Amboise and AOC Montlouis as he owns pockets of vines, or parcelles, in both appellations. It’s the skilful blending of the grapes from these different parcelles – each have their own unique characteristics thanks to subtle differences in soil types and microclimate – that sets his wines apart.
A visit to Damien at his home reveals a different approach to wine production than that of large-scale, mass-production. His quietly confident mix of tradition and vision is producing some excellent wines: red, white, rosé, sweet and sparkling at an average of about €10 (£0) the bottle.
A WOMAN’S TOUCH
The route des châteaux though doesn’t start and finish with Amboise. The unmistakable, fine tufa and slate edifices are plentiful. A ten-minute drive south will take you to the renowned Château de Chenonceau that elegantly spans the River Cher. Regarded as something of a Venus figure among the châteaux, it has enjoyed a woman’s touch since Catherine Briçonnet’s redesign in 1512 and has subsequently housed royal wives, mistresses and queens.
Just southwest of Tours lies Villandry, known for its gardens as much as the château, and one of the last great Renaissance châteaux to be built along the Loire. The gardens are immaculately pruned all year round but to see them in all their colourful glory, pay a visit in summer.
For a different slice of the past, the medieval castle at Chinon is a vast twelfth century fortress that also received Joan of Arc in 1429. Her remarkable story is told in the clock tower with examples of her letters and reconstructions of her travels. The château is currently undergoing an enormous restoration project; a guided tour will give you a fascinating insight into the scale and intricacy of the works.
A lesser-known château that has only been open to the public in recent years is the Château de Candé that lies between Tours and Azay-le-Rideau. Its claim to fame, other than being quite breathtaking, is that Edward Windsor and Wallis Simpson were married here in June 1937. The scandalous match – Edward abdicated the English throne in order to marry the fabulously wealthy American divorcée – took place 70 years ago this June and a large-scale celebration will mark the event.
The pair chose their location well and their great friend, Bedaux (so great they didn’t ever quite get round to meeting up after the wedding), provided a suitably luxurious château and grounds for the ceremony.
Wallis’ exquisitely luxurious outfits and accessories will be on display and the pair’s stories are told through photographs and correspondence, much of which are original. The wedding day itself, 3 June, will mark the beginning of the events with a 1930s-themed picnic in the château and extensive grounds.
The self-made Bedaux was another figure ahead of his time; he installed a telephone system throughout the house and some 1930s gym equipment, including a pair of exercise bikes, was also unearthed during the château’s restoration. The mosaic-tiled bathrooms, complete with heated towel rails are divine and the still-locked safe discovered in the dressing room would surely have contained Wallis’ Cartier jewellery.
If you can’t dig out your 1930s regalia in time for the picnic, the exhibition continues until September so you can still get a taste of the high life and relive a little of this remarkable love story.
UNDERGROUND LABYRINTH
From royalty to reality, it is not all châteaux and nobility in Touraine. Louis-Marie Chardon’s restored troglodyte settlement just outside Azay-le-Rideau is one of the highlights of the region – as much for the man himself as his extraordinary excavations. Childhood curiosity led to his initial discoveries and, upon inheriting his father’s farm, fifteen years of excavations revealed a troglodyte settlement.
The dwellings, carved into the tufa stone are chilly and damp, even on a hot day, but are quite something in their entirety and Louis-Marie’s way of bringing them to life is uniquely charming and accomplished. The donkeys, rabbits, goats and vegetables that once would have played a part in peasant life are all present and a trip into the underground bunker demonstrates how these everyday folk were fully equipped, even to foil possible attack.
A little further down the road through verdant and varied countryside, is Rivarennes where another former way of life is revived, this time in the form of a local speciality, poire tapée. The Loire was once a bustling waterway, taking sailors to the Atlantic and long days spent at sea. Knowing that the dreaded sailors’ disease, scurvy, was caused by lack of vitamins, resourceful locals set about finding a solution. Using the plentiful supply of fruit, and in particular, pears, the poire tapée was born.
The pears are peeled and dried by slowly heating them in a wood-fired oven for at least four days. The tapée comes from the simple act of releasing the air trapped in the pear’s core; a sharp tap with a specially-designed machine literally expels the air and the pears are deliciously conserved with all their goodness in tact.
It took Yves and Christine Hérin, originally from Brittany, to rediscover this former local speciality and they have brought it back to life with their own cottage industry. Be sure to purchase some of their delicious concoctions be it a simple bag of poires tapées or a wine-soaked version to accompany a good wedge of cheese.
RIVER TALES
One of the best ways to savour Touraine is undoubtedly from its waterways and there are certainly enough to choose from: the Loire, the Indre, the Cher and the Vienne all pass through the department. The Loire à Vélo network currently covers some 440km of easy-peasy riverside routes. We loaded up our panniers with a picnic and followed the Cher past one-off wine domaines, sumptuous châteaux and picture-postcard villages. The terrain couldn’t be easier or safer and companies such as Détours à Loire can sort out accommodation and luggage transfer should you wish to make a holiday out of it.
The lazier option, of course, is to sit back and enjoy the river from a crewed boat. The Amarante at Candes-St-Martin offers a contemporary twist on this classic form of transport. Join up to 30 others for a lively commentated tour as you travel the Loire and Vienne rivers or, alternatively, hire the boat and crew for your own voyage of discovery.
It would be unforgivable to explore Touraine without spending a couple of days in Tours itself. The animated and charming city has a strong university community and distinct quartiers to lose yourself in. Tranquil sun-bleached places and gardens can be found in the cathedral district; the wide-open spaces and grand nineteenth-century architecture symbolises the area surrounding the station; while indescribably narrow alleys masquerading as streets and crooked half-timbered houses tell you you’re in the old town.
Less than an hour from Paris by train, bordered by both the Loire and Cher rivers and at the heart of châteaux-and-wine-land: surely the location of choice for a modern-day royal.
Where to eat
Épicerie Gourmande
6 rue de la Mairie
37510 Villandry
Tel: 00 33 (0)2 47 43 37 49
www.epicerie-gourmande-villandry.com
A lovely informal deli where you can enjoy a lunch or evening meal of locally-sourced produce with delicious Loire valley wines. Menus from €15
Hôstellerie Gargantua
73 rue Voltaire
37500 Chinon
Tel: 00 33 (0)2 47 93 04 71
www.hotel-gargantua.com
Relax in the courtyard on a fine summer’s evening. Menus from €17
Le Pavillon des Lys
9 rue d’Orange
37400 Amboise
Tel: 00 33 (0)2 47 30 01 01
www.pavillondeslys.com
Indulge in the decadent dégustation menu in fine surroundings at €38
Where to stay
Auberge Pom’Poire (in between Azay and Villandry)
Route de Vallères, Lionnière
37190 Azay-le-Rideau
Tel: 00 33 (0)2 47 45 83 00
Rooms from €55
Domaine de Beauséjour
37220 Panzoult
Tel: 00 33 (0)2 47 58 64 64
www.domainedebeausejour.com
Rooms from €70
Le Vinci Loire Valley
12 avenue Emile Gounin
37400 Amboise
Tel: 00 33 (0)2 47 57 10 90
www.vinciloirevalley.com
Rooms from €69
Places to Visit:
Les Goupillières
37190 Azay-le-Rideau
Tel: 00 33 (0)2 47 96 60 84
www.troglodytedesgoupillieres.fr
Poires Tapées à l’Ancienne
Rue du Quinçay
37190 Rivarennes
Tel: 00 33 (0)2 47 95 45 19
www.poirestapees.com