On a somewhat dreary and rainy day, our little road trip group lifted our spirits with a tour of the gardens of Villandry, one of the most beautiful gardens in all of France. I’m pretty certain we did the tour in the exact opposite direction as was recommended by the tour pamphlet, but there was hardly a soul to tell us otherwise as we were just about the only people crazy enough to venture out in the pouring rain. Lucky for us, if you ask me! And as an added bonus, the droplets of rain put a bit of shine on each of the gorgeous plants along our way.

The layout of the Renaissance kitchen gardens was particularly intriguing as they resembled quilt patterns with their symmetrical lines and repetitive themes, as shown on the map below. These squares are planted with vegetables of varying colors creating the geometrical patterns, and lined by fruit trees.

Plant identification is made easy by these informational maps as well.

This particular layout chosen for the Kitchen Garden mimics those found in the Middle Ages when monks in the abbeys planted their vegetables in geometric patterns, as a nod to the cross. Even the roses, planted at center points within the design, symbolize the monks digging their squares.

Lovely ivy-covered trellis overlooking the Kitchen Gardens create a wonderful space to reflect upon on the beauty below – the geometric patterns reminds one of chessboards, or grandma’s handstitched quilts from way back.

We spent a lot of time in awe of the precision necessary to create and maintain such a masterpiece. In fact, Villandry employs a team of 10 fulltime gardeners year-round to keep up with the demands of the various garden spaces! We came across several workers within the herb garden below, discreetly tolling away even in the rain.

Making our way to the Ornamental Garden we came across this canal leading away from the Water Garden. This canal separates the estate grounds in two, and connects with the moat around the entire grounds.

Created in the form of a Louis XV mirror, the Water Garden pool is lined by lime trees, and frequented by some thirsty swans. This video gives you an idea of the weather we were contending with as well. Good thing I love a good rain!

Beyond the canal are the Ornamental Gardens, also known as the Love Gardens. This garden highlights shapes such as the Maltese cross and the Basque cross within the designs, creating yet another geometric masterpiece perfect for reflection and lingering.

Stretching from the Water Garden to the Château, the designs are best seen from above, on the “belvedere” (which I learned meant a raised terrace!). Each square within the Ornamental Garden is named for a different type of love: Tender Love, Passionate Love, Flighty Love, and Tragic Love (shown below in clockwise order, starting from the top left design).

To be honest, we were only in the Château for short amount of time, just long enough to find even more views of the exterior! Here’s a shot of the Ornamental Garden from a child’s bedroom, below. Now if you’ve been paying close attention, you’ll have realized that we missed entire sections of the estate, as you can view from the terraced areas beyond the Ornamental Garden. There is also a Sun Garden, a maze, “the Woods”, and another Ornamental Garden! I guess we’ll have to plan to come back! 😉

We nearly felt as though we were trespassing since there were so few people around, but eventually we found access to the rooftop for more astounding views of the Kitchen Gardens and village just beyond…just could not get enough! Don’t get me wrong, the Château was beautiful, but the real gem of this tour is, and always will be, the fantastic gardens.

If you’re ever in the Loire Valley and you love gardens, make sure this location makes the cut! It was well worth it, just make certain you bring an umbrella 😉

*I always recommend purchasing your tickets ahead of time, for peace of mind and easy planning. Click here to buy now. Only 11 euros, or just 5 euros if you’re only interested in the gardens.

Known as “The Ladies Castle”, Château de Chenonceau is a gorgeous, white-washed manor spanning across the River Cher located near Amboise, France in the heart of the Loire Valley. With a deep history involving several very influential women, the château has been home to a king’s mistress, served as a military hospital, and the residence of a queen. The picturesque walking path leading to the chateau and gardens are the perfect beginning to a lovely day. To purchase tickets ahead of time, click here.

The first somewhat notorious resident of the home was Diane de Poitiers, the “favorite” of King Henri II, who gave her the château in 1535, when only part of the structure existed – the main section with the turrets. Diane commissioned to have a bridge built from her castle over the river so that she could access better hunting on the other side.

Mademoiselle de Poitiers also created an immense garden. Diane was passionate about overseeing the entire design, employing an extreme symmetrical layout, all of which are protected from the river by impressive stone terraces as the garden is actually a “floating” parterre, a concept borrowed from the Italians. The gardens span nearly 3 acres, and are accentuated by dozens of climbing roses.

Upon King Henri’s death, Queen Catherine de Medici, Henri’s widow, quickly forced out Diane as head of household, and managed the Kingdom of France from the “Green Cabinet”. Catherine built up Diane’s bridge, adding two enclosed levels to include the Gallery and Grand Ballroom.

Catherine introduced the artichoke to France, thought to be an aphrodisiac. She tried incorporating the artichoke into the royal diet prior to the King’s death, in the hopes of re-capturing Henri’s affections away from Diane.

Queen Catherine was also a passionate gardener, and transformed the area on the other side of the château. The space is much smaller than its counterpart, just 1.3 acres, but Catherine’s refined style is not to be overlooked. Centered around a vast fountain, the garden is organized into five sections of lawn, bordered by roses and lavender, with many sculpted boxwoods.

There are walking paths into the surrounding woods to one side, and breath-taking views of the château itself on the other side. Which of the gardens is your favorite? Diane’s or Catherine’s?

Time to go inside! Sometimes you just gotta look up! The ceilings in the entry were just gorgeous!

The gallery housed a military hospital during World War I from 1914-1918.

The views over the river from the inside are a bit surreal and magical…

Plants and flowers are everywhere inside the château, thanks to floral designer Jean-Francois Boucher, “Master Craftsman of France”. His arrangements are thoughtful, beautiful, and new each day! You can even book a class with this master of flowers!

There are several dining options at Chenonceau, a traditional fine dining restaurant called L’Orangerie (for reservations, send an email to: restaurants@chenonceau.com), as well as a cafeteria style créperie. We opted for the second choice as we were finishing up our tour of the manor and gardens at different times, and could join one another at their outdoor terrace.

Although more casual, the assortment of foods was plentiful and varied, so we all came away with something we enjoyed. Most of us had chef salads, and some type of pastry – because why not! We’re in France!

Just when we thought we had seen it all, there was yet another garden to explore! The Flower Garden covers nearly 2 1/2 acres, the layout containing 12 squares of hundreds of varieties of “cutting flowers” for the florists to use each day within the Château. 

The area within and around these gardens have a number of the cutest cottages, giving it a village feel. The overwhelming charm of it all makes you want to knock to see if anyone is “home”, and invite yourself inside for tea!

These climbing roses were everywhere, trained into these topiary shapes, something I had never seen before, and I quickly fell in love with them. Not to mention the gorgeous stone house, and red doors….swoon!

And what castle is complete without a moat! Remember the “floating” garden of Diane’s I mentioned earlier? It’s true – all of the above is literally built on somewhat marsh-y land, which lends itself perfectly for the creation of a moat surrounding the entire property!

**Thanks to two of my traveling partners, Judy and Kaitlynn, for sharing some of their photos with me. This post would not be complete without them!

During our epic road trip through the château-dense Loire Valley, Leonardo da Vinci’s residence made the short list, and was the very first stop once we had settled in Amboise. The walk from the small parking lot at the base of hill up to the chateau’s gate was very charming, its homes topped with gabled roofs, iron fences surrounding their small gardens, and ivy growing on the sides of each structure.

Upon entering the gate of Château du Clos Lucé at the top of the hill on the left, take another left to the small entry office if you’ve pre-purchased tickets. (If you haven’t bought tickets yet, you should – click here) Once the clerk gives you the guide to the château and grounds, head up the rounded stone stairs behind the clerk’s desk to start the tour. Our clerk didn’t mention this, so we ended up in the courtyard wandering aimlessly until we realized our mistake! 😛

The Chateau is really more of a manor, but impressive all the same. The brick work and charming doors have a way of bringing you back to the 16th century. Leonardo da Vinci was invited by King Francis I and named “Premier Painter and Engineer and Architect of the King” – quite the endorsement to such a deserving and creative soul. Leonardo da Vinci arrived with three paintings: the Mona Lisa, St. John the Baptist, and the Virgin and the Child.

Leondardo spent his last remaining three years at Clos Lucé, and died in his bed on May 2, 1519. It is now a da Vinci museum, celebrating the original Renaissance man, including examples of his many ingenious inventions and gorgeous gardens which he designed.

The interior itself is bright and engaging. The woodwork might otherwise seem dark and foreboding, but windows sashes are left open to let in the fresh air and light.

Multiple Renaissance style paintings can be found in the small chapel, all painted by da Vinci’s treasured pupils.

A corner work room flooded with light displays replicas of da Vinci’s drawings, sketches, and journal entries. The papers are scattered about, making it seem like Leonardo will return at any moment to finish up his current works of art.

A copy of “St John the Baptist” is on display (on the right). Some say this might have been his last painting. He worked on it from 1513-1516 using one of his pupils as the model. The original is currently on display at the Louvre.

On the lower level, da Vinci’s engineering inventions are on display. The collection includes around 40 models, complete with 3D animations and video production so that us laymen might understand how they work! IBM created the amazing replicas and impressively highlight da Vinci’s diverse range of genius in engineering: models of airplanes, automobiles, helicopters, tanks, and much more.

Take a bit of time to admire the copy of Mona Lisa in the Great Room. One can imagine Leonardo visiting with his students in this room, or even meeting with some of his Royal friends. The large windows look out onto views of the exceptional gardens in the “Renaissance Terrace” below.

The gardens within the courtyard are truly peaceful, with many places to sit and rest. A wonderful opportunity to “stop and smell the roses” ~ in particular, the “Mona Lisa” rose:

On the opposite side of the garden are a gift shop and créperie. The gift shop has many lovely items, and a friendly and helpful staff. My mother purchased a number of items and paid to have them shipped home, and the clerk was very accomodating. This was wonderful – as some of our preconcieved notions about French hospitality had not been overly positive. To have one of our first experiences be so easy with a kind-hearted sales lady really set the tone, putting our minds at ease for the rest of the trip.

Make your way down the wide stone staircase to the vegetable and botanical gardens below. Artichoke plants abound, along with trellises full of roses.

We initially thought the small cottage in the corner was for the gardner’s tools, but upon further inspection we found that the door was ajar and a gentleman was inside painting the scene outside his window. How many other of da Vinci’s followers have been inspired in this very spot?

Stroll away from the trellises and wander towards the pond surrounded by old growth trees. Small brooks of trickling water add to the peace and beauty.

Continue along the path to admire the many plants and flowers. Eventually you’ll come upon an impressive two-story bridge, an astonishing design of da Vinci’s.

The mist coming up from the water gives an ethereal quality to the scene.

The tranquility gives way to an area of lifesize invention replicas for the château visitors to have a little fun!

Stay in touch with your inner child, and get hands on! Leonardo’s water screw is fascinating to patrons of all ages, and demonstates da Vinci’s improvements upon the original Archimedes’ screw.

…and be mesmerized by the paddle wheel:

Leonardo’s lovely paddle boats gathered at the pond’s dock, ready for an adventurous soul.

Once you’ve used all your energy exploring and playing, fortify yourselves at the cafe at the base of the hill. The staff were very helpful with our varying levels of French, and there are friendly cats roaming about that add to the charm.

What a memorable first stop while in France. Truly unforgettable.