One of the many pleasures of living in the Loire Valley is being able to have more than twenty Chateaus within your reach. Chateaus, or castles, such as Chenonceau, Chaumont, Blois, Amboise, Chambord and many more are luxurious and luminous in their own ways. I was lucky enough to visit four of these amazing castles; Amboise, Chenonceau, Blois, and Chaumont. Here is a little background on each chateau that I visited.
Amboise- This chateau was a fortress built on the site of a former Roman camp. Comte d’Anjou, Louis XI, Charles VIII, Louis XII, Francis I, Louis XIII and a few more individuals took residence at this beautiful castle in the Loire Valley. Near this chateau is Clos-Luce manor where Leonardo Di Vinci himself lived out the last days of his life.
Blois- This Chateau is composed of a mixture of many architectural styles ranging from medieval architectural style in one wing to a very baroque style in another wing of the castle.
Chaumont- This castle is referred to the sleeping Beauty castle. I found this out on my boat trip down the river! After the death of her husband Charles I, Catherine de Medicis took Chenonceau from Diane de Poitiers and offered her Chaumont in compensation. Diane never liked this chateau and never spent time there. A very pretty chateau.
Chenonceau- This chateau is probably my favorite of the Chateaus. Right along the river, this Chateau was easily accessible to the monarchy when they wanted to go out to the country side during the summer. Charles I gave this castle to Diane de Poitiers but soon after he died, it was confiscated by his wife, Catherine de Medicis.
Overall, staying in the Loire leaves you feeling like a prince or princess and you have so many castles to choose and daydream in. I know I did :)
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