The first time in France: the Loire castles

Here we are ready for our first trip outside Italy, we decide to go and visit France to be precise, given the vastness of the nation, we choose the Loire region, dotted with splendid castles and fantastic landscapes.

Armed with the Peugeot guide and with plenty of enthusiasm we set off early in the morning for the Frejus tunnel and just before the border we take the opportunity for one last good coffee and to buy a road map that we still lack.

We cross the tunnel and a good part of France and towards evening we reach Cheverny, we find a little hotel that we decide will be our base for the first 5 days of the trip, so as to move around during the day and return for the night.

THE DISCOVERY BEGINS

We decide not to waste time and start by choosing to visit the castle closest to the hotel first, so we opt for Cheverny; it cannot be said that it reflects the imagined fairy-tale castle, complete with towers or drawbridge, it is more a gigantic country residence, immersed in an endless park with perfectly kept lawns and centuries-old plants that give us a bit of precious shade, also because we found a summer characterized by tremendous heat and a drought that had not been seen here for years (at least so the hotelier and a restaurateur in the area assure us). The castle, although inhabited, is partially visitable and it is truly worth it. however the characteristic of the castle is the breeding of splendid hunting dogs. We spend the afternoon wandering among the forests and some "minor" castles, small very charming residences always with endless parks.

For the second day we decide to go to the castle that from the images seen in guides and brochures seemed to us aesthetically the most "fascinating": Chenonceau. Here the parking lot is outside the wood that surrounds the castle, a wood that we cross with great pleasure, given the high temperatures (completely abnormal) and at the end of which we find ourselves with this enormous castle straddling the river, in fact a covered gallery has been built, on two floors, over the river, a truly fantastic spectacle and also the interior rooms of the castle deserve the visit, also because an Italian woman lived here, precisely Catherine de' Medici, in fact one of the two gardens was dedicated to her, while the other to Diane de Poitiers, the lover of Henry II, husband of Catherine de' Medici...

what a story!! After finishing the visit to the castle we also visit the small wax museum and then head towards Chambord, certainly the largest and most imposing of the Loire castles, but we postpone the visit to the following day, due to the forty degrees that give us no respite. In the evening, when the temperatures are a bit more acceptable, we decide to go and see Blois, a fantastic town right on the bank of the Loire, with all the white houses and black slate roofs that during the day offer an enchanting sight, while in the evening the lights offer a splendid view of the castle that is located in the center of the town and where in the large inner courtyard the history of the castle and the passage of Joan of Arc are recounted, who you meet a bit everywhere here.

Today we set off to visit Chambord, we visit the interior, although here the original furnishings are few, certainly better preserved are the carriages and interesting is the horse show that we attend. In the following days we head to Briare, to see the pont-canal, practically a bridge that crosses the Loire in which a canal flows to connect smaller rivers that run parallel and that thus allow the passage of small boats; we then visit the town of Chinon, where the ruins of the castle remain and where the memory of the passage of Joan of Arc is alive, a walk is truly pleasant, as is pleasant to see all these black slate roofs that stand out with the sun towards sunset time.

After a few days of stay in this area we decide to move towards the mouth of the river to visit other castles, so we establish for a few nights our "base" in Villandry, in a charming hotel near the castle and for the following days we go to discover the nearby castles.

We cannot but start the visit from the castle of Villandry, famous more than for its rooms or the splendors of frescoes or tapestries for its gardens, they are divided into three sections and all three leave the visitor breathless, even those who do not have too much of a hobby or boundless passion for gardening cannot help but remain ecstatic before so much beauty. In the afternoon we move on to the visit of the castle of Ussè, it is said that here the inspiration was taken for the fairy tale of sleeping beauty in the woods.

Today we set off to discover the castle of Azay le Rideau, characteristic for being surrounded by water and where in the evening we attend a "lights and sounds" show that winds between the park and the castle, truly fantastic.

Today we allow ourselves a slightly longer trip to reach the castle of Valençay, here everything deserves the visit and certainly it will not be wasted time, starting from the large tree-lined avenue to travel to reach it, passing through the grandiose gardens in front and the park complete with animals that flanks it, but the thing that most fascinated us was the visit to the interiors, perfectly and jealously preserved, the audio guide provided that tells the history of the castle and its inhabitants, complete with entanglements of characters, loves and lovers, that you almost seem to see them meeting among corridors and secret passages.... also unmissable is a visit to the car museum a stone's throw from the castle, obviously passing through the park.

Our trip is now drawing to a close, but we can consider ourselves truly satisfied with the visit to this corner of France that gave us truly unique landscapes and moments and contributed to making grow in us the desire to discover by traveling and we are already thinking about the next trip, perhaps to another corner of France...