Villandry castle
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The Villandry castle is one of the castles in La Loire, situated in the department of Indre-et-Loire, 15km west of Tours and 260km south-west of Paris. Villandry is mostly known for its French gardens, rebuilt using old 14th-century texts and divided between three levels. First of all, is the "Garden of the Sun", then the "Garden of Water", surrounded by lime trees (which collect all of the necessary water for the gardens' irrigation and for their fountains).
Finally, there is an ornamental garden made up of three parts. The first part contains the "Garden of Love", the "Garden of Music" and the "Modest Garden" full of aromatic and medicinal plants. The second part is a decorative kitchen garden taking up one hectare, which produces biological produce. Finally, the third part is the Floral Labyrinth, very much appreciated by children.
Finished around 1536, Villandry is the last of the great Loire valley Castles to have been built in the Renaissance. Villandry was built by Jean le Breton, minister of finances for François I, who ordered the demolition of an old 12th-century fortress, the dungeons, and the foundations being all that now remain. The current family of owners saved the castle from demolition and restored it, including the gardens, at the start of the 20th century.
A "Wimbledon" style tennis court and "La Douce Terrasse" restaurant (which has a menu of regional cuisine and various vegetarian options), were both opened in 2012. The visit of the Villandry Castle is led by Paris City Vision's guides during the 4 days excursion of Normandy, Saint-Malo, Mont Saint Michel, and Chateaux Country.