France's
Valley of Kings
Mention the Loire Valley and you
conjure up visions of fairytale castles set against
a backdrop of green fields and rows of poplars,
hillside vineyards, and the swift-flowing Loire.
The river, France's longest, gives the region its
name; the Loire's waters nourish this land, the
“garden of France,” a gentle, rolling
landscape that seems to breathe peace and prosperity.
The magnificent châteaux that suddenly appear
on the horizon take one's breath away: these manmade
wonders are surely as dramatic as any natural landscape
could be. Built of “pierre de Loire”,
the porous local limestone, each of the region's
300-odd châteaux played a role in French history,
serving first as fortresses, later as elegant residences
for aristocrats and royalty, and then as barracks
or even quarries after the Revolution. Now the major
châteaux have been restored and transformed
into museums, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors
each year from all over the world.
But the châteaux are not the whole story of
the Loire Valley. This is the heartland of France,
renowned for its tender light, moderate climate,
and bounteous farmlands. The Renaissance poet Joachim
du Bellay wrote of his longing for “la douceur
angevine” of his native Anjou, and of how
he preferred the modest house built there by his
grandparents to all the palaces of Rome. Covered
by the sea when the world was still young, the Loire
Valley still shows its marine heritage in the rolling
hills, fertile soil, and network of rivers left
behind by the salty waters. This former sea bed
is bordered by the Massif Central plateau to the
south, Burgundy's Morvan range to the east, the
green, green grass of Normandy and plains of Ile-de-France
to the north, sea-battered Brittany to the west,
and rural Poitou to the south. Within these boundaries,
the pastoral landscapes of the Loire Valley display
subtle but distinctive differences. The Orléanais
boasts forests and fertile fields, streams and moors,
and is famous for its roses: they not only enhance
the beauty of the area, but also supply an export
crop. From Orléans the Loire flows southwest
to Touraine, with its vineyards, orchards, market
and flower gardens. The Loire then meanders to Anjou,
in whose most westerly reaches—known as Black
Anjou—the countryside begins to resemble the
wilder scenery of Brittany. White Anjou, however,
remains firmly attached to the Loire Valley's pastoral
tradition, with vineyards and gardens covering gentle
slopes.
Turmoil, and a Golden Age
While the Loire Valley today may seem to be a haven
of tranquility, this has not always been the case.
Controlled by the Romans for the first two centuries
AD, the Loire Valley fell prey to invasions by Huns,
Franks, Visigoths, Vikings, and Saracens over the
following centuries. Peace did not reign after the
suppression of the barbarians, though, as the lords
of Orléans, Blois, Touraine, Anjou, and the
Maine continued to battle each other for control
of the territory. In the mid-twelfth century Henri,
Count of Anjou, seemed to have gained the upper
hand when he was crowned Henry II of England and
married Eleanor of Aquitaine, whose dowry brought
him lands that reached as far as the southwest corner
of France. His dominion did not endure, however,
and the Loire Valley reverted to French control
early in the thirteenth century. Still, the English
did not relinquish the idea of owning the rich lands
of France. They returned with a vengeance during
the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453), inspiring Joan
of Arc to take up arms to defend her king, Charles
VII. The “Maid of Orleans” liberated
that city, the last French fortress, in 1429. She
was burned at the stake by the English in 1431,
becoming a martyr who is venerated by French nationalists
(and royalists) to this day.
The importation of the Italian Renaissance to France
in the sixteenth century, in the relative peace
after the Hundred Years' War, changed the face of
the Loire Valley. Gloomy fortresses metamorphosed
into graceful, light-filled castles that displayed
their owners' wealth and power to best advantage.
Kings Charles VIII, Louis XII, and François
I brought the artistic ideals of the Italian Renaissance
to the Loire Valley. To them we owe the renovation
and construction of the great châteaux at
Blois, Amboise, and Chambord. François I
invited Leonardo da Vinci and Benvenuto Cellini
from Italy to embellish his residences. Queen Catherine
de Médicis, the Florentine wife of Henri
II, continued the tradition of patronizing Italian
artists.
The Renaissance was the golden age of the
Loire Valley. When its importance as a royal seat
diminished, the region reverted to its agricultural
vocation. The gastronomic bounty produced by this
rich land is nearly as celebrated as the châteaux.
The Loire River yields shad, trout, pikeperch, eels,
and (for a brief season each year) salmon. In the
Orléanais and Touraine, the abundance of
asparagus, leeks, strawberries, melons, pumpkins,
apples, and more prove that this is indeed the garden
of France. The Loire Valley is also wine country:
Anjou boasts long-lived white dessert wines, aromatic
reds, and tender rosés; from Touraine come
tannic Chinons and Bourgueil, the best of which
will improve with age. The ideal accompaniments
to these wines are the region's excellent chèvres,
from Selles-sur-Cher or Sainte-Maure, or the potted
pork known as rillettes, a specialty of Le Mans.
Exploring the Châteaux
Originally a feudal castle, the château de
Blois, located in the center of the town of the
same name, became a royal residence in 1498 when
Louis XII ascended the throne (he's the man on horseback
above the château's entrance). Louis added
a brick-and-stone wing to the château. The
next tenant, François I, built yet another
wing in the Renaissance style with an Italianate
façade and a fantastic open octagonal staircase.
The classical sobriety of the Gaston d'Orléans
wing, added in 1635, contrasts with the exuberance
of the Renaissance portions.
The ubiquitous François I also pops up at
Chambord, the most colossal of the Loire châteaux,
with no fewer than 440 rooms. Originally a humble
hunting lodge, François had Chambord enlarged
to its present extravagant state in the early sixteenth
century. The Italianate structure may have been
influenced by Leonardo da Vinci, who had been a
guest at Francois's court. Many perceive his genius
in Chambord's celebrated double-helix staircase,
which allows one person to mount and another to
descend without running into each other. On Chambord's
broad rooftop terraces, visitors may wander amid
pinnacles, turrets, and fantasy sculptures, then
pause to admire the view of the immense park that
surrounds the château. Once the hunting grounds
of royalty, the land is now a national wildlife
reserve. Nearby, at the elegant seventeenth-century
château of Cheverny, the hunt is still a vital
tradition. After viewing the castle's richly furnished
interior, one can stroll around the grounds and
visit the beautiful hounds in their kennel.
Set high on a cliff, the château at Chaumont-sur-Loire
is slightly older than Chambord but has a similar
massive construction, with fat turret-tipped towers.
Catherine de Médicis brought her Italian
astrologer, Cosimo Ruggieri, to live at Chaumont.
He beguiled his patroness by making the faces of
the king and their sons appear in the moonlight,
along with the number of years they had left to
live (a precursor, perhaps, of today's “son
et lumière” shows?).
Though the town of Chenonceaux is often thronged
with tourists, its château is still very much
worth visiting for its intrinsic beauty, interesting
history, and the rare works of art it holds. Built
plumb over the waters of the Cher River, Chenonceau
stands on the foundations of a former mill. François
I acquired the castle in 1535 as payment for debts
owed the Crown. Henri II made a gift of Chenonceau
to his beautiful and ambitious mistress, Diane de
Poitiers, but upon his death in 1559, his widow
Catherine de Médicis ousted her rival, packing
her off to the less majestic château at Chaumont.
Catherine had a two-storey gallery built on the
bridge that links the castle to the opposite bank
of the Cher. The gallery served as a hospital during
World War I, and during World War II provided a
precious escape route, for it spanned the line of
demarcation between France's Free Zone and Occupied
France.
Reflected in the tranquil waters of the Indre, Azay-le-Rideau
is a romantic château that time has barely
touched. The early Renaissance architecture shows
Italian influences, and the military features—turrets,
battlements, and such—serve a purely decorative
purpose. Inside, period furnishings and Flemish
tapestries embellish the rooms.
The château of Amboise is an impressive sight:
set at a lordly height above the town, it affords
an exceptional view of the river and the Loire Valley.
François I established a brilliant court
here, graced by poets and artists: Clément
Marot, Pierre de Ronsard, and, Leonardo da Vinci.
Just outside of Amboise, and well worth visiting,
is Clos-Luc, where Leonardo spent the last years
of his life. Visitors can admire models of his plans
for a helicopter and other amazing inventions, but
the real interest is in seeing the place where the
great man lived and worked. The kitchen, where he
liked to sit, is especially moving.
This is just a taste of the riches of France's “valley
of kings.” Those interested in the region's
earlier history should visit the troglodyte village
of Trôo, which features cave dwellings dug
out of limestone, grottos, a “talking well”
(it has a startling echo), and Romanesque church.
The château at Le Grand-Pressigny, a major
prehistoric site, houses a museum with a fine collection
of artifacts.
Apocalypse Now... And Forever
The cities of the Loire Valley hold their own share
of treasures. Flower-filled Angers, situated on
the Maine River in the western Loire Valley, is
dominated by a powerful medieval fortress with seventeen
striped towers. The castle houses the “Apocalypse
Tapestries”, a fourteenth-century masterpiece
depicting 70 scenes from the Book of Revelation.
Light filters into Angers's Gothic cathedral of
Saint-Maurice through magnificent stained-glass
windows; those in the choir are especially fine
(notice the Saint Christopher with the head of a
dog).
Due east, in the heart of the Loire Valley, is Tours,
a university town that makes a good base for both
château and wine tours. Though Tours suffered
bomb damage in World War II, many of its Renaissance
town houses (the Hôtel Gouin is a fine example)
and ancient half-timbered dwellings on Place Plumereau
were spared. The cathedral of Saint-Gatien (named
for Tours's first bishop) is a compendium of Gothic
styles, with Renaissance towers for good measure.
The glorious stained-glass windows date from the
thirteenth to the fifteenth century. By all means
make time to visit the Musée des Beaux-Arts
in the former archbishops' palace, and admire a
collection that includes works by Mantegna, Rubens,
and Rembrandt in a precious setting.
Following the Loire River north and east takes the
visitor to Orléans, a city whose main claim
to fame is its association with Joan of Arc, who
saved it from the English in 1429. Orléans
sustained heavy bomb damage during World War II,
but was meticulously reconstructed. The eclectic
cathedral of Sainte-Croix (called “the ugliest
in France” by one of Marcel Proust's characters),
was built, destroyed, and rebuilt repeatedly over
600 years. Inside is a chapel dedicated to Joan.
Those interested in the life of the warrior shepherdess
will also want to visit the Maison de Jeanne d'Arc
and the Centre de Jeanne d'Arc, which exhibit documents
and memorabilia. Not surprisingly, Orléans
hosts a Joan of Arc festival every year on May 7-8.
The city's Musée des Beaux-Arts displays
a Saint Thomas by Velázquez, and exceptional
French portraits from the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries.
Completing the circle of the region's major cities
is Le Mans in the north, between Normandy and Touraine.
Its name is synonymous with car racing: the famous
“24 Heures” takes place in June, at
the Circuit just south of the town. Racing buffs
should not miss the Musée de l'Automobile,
also at the site. Le Mans's historic center, just
west of the cathedral of Saint-Julien inside the
ancient Gallo-Roman wall, holds a wealth of fine
medieval and Renaissance houses. The cathedral itself
is an architectural marvel, combining Romanesque
and Gothic elements with splendid stained glass.
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