Reflections
From the park paths.
Gerd Eichmann — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gerd Eichmann — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gerd Eichmann — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gerd Eichmann — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gerd Eichmann — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gerd Eichmann — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Château d'Azay-le-Rideau stands on an island in the Indre river in the town of Azay-le-Rideau, in the Indre-et-Loire department of central France, about 22 km in a straight line south-west of Tours. A medieval castle guarding the road from Tours to Chinon stood here until it was burned in 1418, during the Hundred Years' War. In 1518 Gilles Berthelot, mayor of Tours and treasurer to the king, bought the land and built the present château between 1518 and 1527. It is counted among the finest early French Renaissance buildings and among the best-loved châteaux of the Loire. The pale stone walls rise straight from the water, with corner turrets and carved dormer windows, and inside a grand staircase with straight flights was new in France at the time. The rooms are furnished in styles from the 16th to the 19th century, and a landscaped park with old trees and calm water mirrors surrounds the château. The finest views are from the park paths, where the château is reflected in the Indre. A visit takes one to two hours, and the château and gardens of Villandry are about 10 km away in a straight line.
From the park paths.
Straight flights.
Old trees and water mirrors.
Azay-le-Rideau, Indre-et-Loire, France
One to two hours.
Villandry and its gardens.