The Enchanted Castles 2/2

After a tour of Brittany by camper (see the Brittany story) we come to visit the area of the Loire castles

Friday 09.08.90

Departure from the campsite at Turballe at 9.15; from the motorway we see the great bridges over the Loire estuary.

We visit the castle of Azay-le-Rideau straight away On the banks of the Indre, at the edge of the forest, stands the castle of Azay-le-Rideau, one of the finest examples of the Renaissance. Elegant and harmonious, it has more modest proportions than the other castles because it was not built by a king but by a famous financier of the time.

A visit to the Castle of Chenonceau is a must; very beautiful, it is built like a bridge over the river. It is a building over the waters of the Cher, almost a long gallery on the river built on an old fortification lapped by canals. Having visited the interior, it still preserves its original furnishings. It is worth lingering in the two splendid gardens too. One was commissioned by Diane de Poitiers and the other by Catherine de' Medici. In the 16th century it was the scene of unforgettable, lavish parties. With my sister I visit a wax museum just outside the castle - nice but nothing special. We stop to sleep at the municipal campsite among the poplars.

Saturday 10.08.90

8 o'clock, wake up and shopping: in the morning a little van comes to the campsite for home delivery with bread, milk and croissants.

Visit to the Castle of Amboise and Leonardo da Vinci's house: CLOS LUCE. A favourite residence of Charles VIII and of his son Francis I, the castle of Amboise was furnished and enlarged by Italian artists and architects. Leonardo da Vinci also stayed there. Part of the castle is the chapel of Saint Hubert, a late Gothic jewel, very fascinating (see photo).

Visit to the castle of Blois. An imposing castle in the shape of an irregular quadrilateral, it is 181 km from Paris. Blois is a summary of French architecture; it contains the royal rooms where the Duke of Guise was killed and where Catherine de' Medici died. Typical is the tower with the double spiral staircase built by Leonardo da Vinci at the wish of Francis I in 1515 so he could move about avoiding unwanted people. In practice, they are two spiral staircases one on top of the other.

Sunday 11.08.90

Visit to the castle of Chambord, gigantic. It is the typical castle you expect to see, the classic castle of the collective imagination: imposing, elegant, with immense gardens and parks and a hunting estate attached. There is a wing for each subject. The hunting one is impressive and full of antlers and hunting trophies and of the immense quantity of animals killed. It is quite chilling: you mustn't think too much about all those lives cut short. The furnishings are sumptuous and very rich, with golden stuccoes and precious fabrics. In the guard rooms they wore period costume.

Visit to the castle of Talcy, the smallest castle visited. It is nice and well proportioned. After this indigestion of castles we could have seen others but, frankly, we had already seen the most beautiful ones and so we decided not to go further. If you want, there are plenty more to visit.

In the late afternoon departure for Italy; on the way we visit the pretty little village of Bourges: the cathedral is beautiful but not remarkable. Stop and overnight on the motorway.

Monday 12.08.90, Tuesday 13.08.90

Arrival at the Little St Bernard Pass. The weather is fine and we take the chance to go for walks and rest. The landscape is magnificent and the paths simple and undemanding. We decide to stay for the night too.

Wednesday 14.08.90

The weather starts to worsen, so we decide to head home.