Page 307 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

Blois cathedral’s spires
against the glowing sky as
the River Loire flows past

from the late 15th century, Jassaud, with notable 16th- The stretch between Vendôme
which houses the Musée des century bas-reliefs above the and Trôo is the most rewarding,
Beaux-Arts, infuses Gothic main doorway. Place Vauvert offering walking trails, wine
design with Renaissance is the most charming square, tasting, troglodyte caves,
spirit, sealed with the king’s with a fine example of a half- fishing and boat trips.
porcupine symbol. timbered house. Les Roches-l’Évêque is a
The 16th-century François I fortified village with cave
wing is a masterpiece of the Château Royal de Blois dwellings. Just downstream is
French Renaissance, containing "' ⌂ 6 place du Château Lavardin, with its Romanesque
a monumental spiral staircase § 02 54 90 33 33 # Jan–Mar, church, half-timbered houses,
in an octagonal tower. Nov & Dec: 10am–5pm daily; Gothic bridge and ruined
Blois is hung with paint ings Apr–Jun, Sep & Oct: 9am– chât eau ringed by ramparts.
interpreting its troubled past. 6:30pm daily; Jul & Aug: 9am– In Montoire-sur-le-Loir, the
These include a portrayal of 7pm daily ¢ 1 Jan, 25 Dec Chapelle St-Gilles, a former
the murder of the Duc de Guise leper colony, has Romanesque
in 1588. The most intriguing frescoes. Trôo, the next major
room is Catherine de’ Medici’s 24 village, is known for its beauti-
study lined with 237 carved ful church and a laby rinth of
wooden wall panels, four of The Loir troglodyte dwellings. Facing
which are secret cabinets said ! D3 ⌂ Loir-et-Cher the village of Trôo, St-Jacques-
to have stored her poisons. k Tours £ Vendôme des-Guérets has a frescoed
In the eastern sector of the @ Montoire-sur-le-Loir n 16 Romanesque chapel, as does
city, the imposing Cathédrale pl Clémenceau, Montoire- Poncé-sur-le-Loir, further
St-Louis is a 17th-century sur-le-Loir; www.otsi- down stream. On the slopes
recon struction of a Gothic montoire.fr are vine yards producing
church, almost destro yed by a Jasnières and Côteaux du
hurricane in 1678. Behind the Compared with the royal River Vendômois. Wine tastings
cathedral the former bishop’s Loire, the tranquil Loir to the enliven sleepy Poncé and La
palace, built in 1700, is the north has a more rural charm. Chartre-sur-le-Loir.
Hôtel de Ville.
Place Louis XII is overlooked
by splendid 17th-century TROGLODYTE DWELLINGS
façades. Rue Pierre de Blois, For centuries, caves carved out of the tufa (soft limestone)
a quaint alley straddled by a of the Loire Valley – either hewn from cliff-faces or dug
Gothic passage way, winds underground – have been a source of cheap, secure
downhill to the medieval Jewish accommodation. Today they are used for wine storage,
ghetto. Rue des Juifs boasts mushroom growing and even as hotels. For a glimpse into
distinguished hôtels particuliers a way of life that existed as late as the 1930s, visit the
(mansions), including the troglodyte village of Rochemenier (www.troglodyte.fr),
galleried Hôtel de Condé, which has been partly preserved as a museum.
with its Renaissance archway
and courtyard, and the Hôtel
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