'ABC' of the Loire: Amboise, Blois, Chambord. by Daphne Beames
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Like a rich alphabet soup the chunky reflections of ancient châteaux swirl tastefully in the waters of the Loire - a shimmering, pixellated slide-show of pavilions and pediments, turrets and keeps.
If the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk had lived in a real castle, it would have been Chambord; Blois belongs, forever, to the wiley Duke: Gaston d’Orleans; and Amboise remains the last haunt of wizard: Leonardo da Vinci. Who needs the tinsel of Euro-Disney when such is the fairytale world of the most fascinating river in France?
We had flown to Paris on Emirates via Dubai – a first class airline offering an impressive transit terminal, impeccable service, competitive fares and excellent food. (At no additional cost, our return journey was routed out of London.)
A leisurely, three hour drive carried us south-west from the French capital to the medieval city of Tours, from where we headed east towards the village of Onzain - becoming quite lost in endless vineyards and between high hedgerows. Our only reliable guide was the river, flowing steadily on our right: as long as it was fixed in our sights we could not wander too far from the old, châteaux route.
International recognition was won for the Pays de Loire in the year 2000, when the historic, central region from Maine-et-Loire to Sully-sur-Loire was proclaimed a World Heritage Site. The river’s ancient name comes originally from the Celtic ‘liga’’ and the Latin ‘liger’, meaning silt; and there is certainly a special magic in this sediment as anyone visiting the Relais & Châteaux hotel, Domaine des Hauts de Loire, will soon discover.
An elegant residence – set in a wooded park – the Domaine makes an ideal base for exploring the great, royal châteaux on its doorstep. This marvellous, former hunting lodge is wrapped not only in ivy but also in literary connections: having been built in 1860 by the famous publisher, Panckouche. Pointed turrets, a spiral stairway, blue velvet drapes at floor-to-ceiling windows and perfect swans on a perfect lake all invite the tourist to linger. Dine on salade d’anguille croustillante à la vinaigrette d’échalote accompanied by a selection of excellent Vouvray wines.
After breakfast we headed for Chambord; and if Chenonceau has been called ‘the most romantic house west of the Taj Mahal’ - Chambord is surely the most monumental castle in the Loire Valley. If you have time to visit only one château, it must be Chambord.
The approach road is a 3km drive through the largest enclosed, forest park in Europe (once the preserve of all the king’s huntsmen - and still teeming with wild fauna). The trees part suddenly and, on the horizon, a commanding fortress and palace (with distinctive, round, corner towers) rises from its woodland setting like a giant, solitaire gem – its mirror image charmingly reflected in the dark waters of the diverted River Cosson.
Built by French master masons in the reign of Francis I (to plans attributed to Leonardo da Vinci) this immense and elegant, 440-roomed pile boasts a 156m long façade and is surrounded by 32kms of perimeter walls. Enter through the paved courtyard and look up to discover a Renaissance array of dormer windows, lanterns, turrets and intricately, carved chimneys.
Inside, the incredible, double-helix staircase is Chambord’s most celebrated feature (designed to allow riders to reach their upstairs apartments without dismounting and with two ascending ramps running parallel but never meeting). Artworks include rare portraits of the Comte d’ Artois and the Grand Dauphin (son of Louis XV and father of the ill-fated Louis XVI) – and ornate stonework depicts the recurring theme of fleur de lys and salamanders (emblem of Francis I).
At sunset, from July to September, the “Metamorphosis of Chambord” is paraded in a spectacular light and music production: the fairytale life of the ‘princes of the lilies’ in their magnificent ‘jardin de la France’.
Amenities include a large car-park, numerous refreshment stalls nestling under the shade of plane trees and colourful souvenir and craft shops: this is an attractive venue.
While Chambord is the stalwart, lone inhabitant of a gigantic, national park, the royal Château de Blois - located less than twenty kms to the north-west - is the pièce de résistance in the centre of a bustling market town. (It is entirely possible to visit both castles on the same day.)
Enter the Château of Blois through the impressive pink brick and grey stone façade of the Louis XII wing and admire the graceful, Italianate appearance of the beautifully proportioned courtyard - brought to life during the summer months by a daily pageant of costumed, sword-fighting contests set to Renaissance music.
The architectural style is principally Gothic, and yet another amazing spiral staircase, this Château’s most renowned feature, adorns the wing of Francis I and is covered with intricately carved, bas-relief statues.
Forever linked to a sinister assassination, the legend of Blois reads like a thriller and the sombre note is captured by the décor of an interior rich in history: predominantly deep red and blue painted walls; patterned, inlaid floors and heavy, beamed ceilings. These are rooms of intrigue and here, in the ‘Room of Secrets’, Catherine de Medici is reported to have stored her vials of poison (bottles in small cabinets can still be seen although their authenticity has not been validated); in 1429 Joan of Arc came here to be blessed by the Archbishop of Reims; in the ‘Murder Room’ the Duke of Guise was stabbed to death in 1588 on the orders of King Henry III; Marie de Medici, exiled to Blois by her son, made a precarious escape from her upstairs apartments by climbing down two ladders; and here, Gaston d’Orleans, the Château’s owner during the minority of his nephew, King Louis XIV, plotted the fateful ‘Fronde’ uprisings. Worth a visit? Definitely…
Before leaving this pretty town of medieval façades, ornamental balconies, and half-timbered houses - visit the Maison des Acrobates; the 17th-century Cathédral St-Louis; Place St-Louis, the town’s market place until the 18th-century; the medieval Jewish ghetto and Place Vauvert, the most picturesque square in Vieux Blois.
As the afternoon was already far advanced we retraced our steps towards the historic town of Amboise and checked into the delightful 16th-century residence: the Château de Noizay. Noizay (a member of the Relais & Chateau chain) is a jewel of a find. Besides the superior comfort of suites decorated with attractive antiques, a sparkling pool set in formal gardens, and gourmet cuisine – there is an interesting library containing manuscripts from 1560, when the old house was used as a refuge during the Protestant uprisings.
A stone’s throw from the hotel is the historically important town of Amboise - its towering Château (seat of the royal court since the days of Louis XI) still dominating the banks of the river. On view are the macabre, iron hooks where the corpses of 1200 Huguenots were hung at the time of the ‘Amboise Conspiracies’; the Gothic Chapelle St-Hubert; and the original entrance: the Tour des Minimes - famous for an enclosed, spiral ramp that allowed the ascent of carriages.
From the south terrace of the royal Chateau the elegant red brick and white stone façade of Clos-Lucé is clearly visible. It was to this Gothic-style manor house that the sovereign, Francis I, brought Leonardo da Vinci to live out the last three years of his life and here, in his final home, the Renaissance master died and his genius lives. It is now a captivating museum displaying mechanical, hydraulic and aerodynamic models – copied from drawings made by da Vinci some four centuries before they were actually built. The room where he died can be viewed, as well as a riveting film outlining his remarkable inventions. In the large park, where the Leonardo liked to take botanical walks, there are full-scale replicas of twelve of his most important machines.
The lush land of the Loire - looking west towards its gateway on the Atlantic and immortalised by Rabelais as the ‘Garden of France’, is a rich and fertile field of architecture, intellectual heritage and history. A valley beyond expectation - it is not to be missed.