What is Val de Loire known for?
With its 2,500 listed monuments, Centre-Val de Loire attracts nine million visitors annually thanks to its wealth of unspoilt landscapes (Val de Loire, Sologne, Perche, Berry), two of the most visited châteaux in France (Chambord and Chenonceaux), its wine heritage (third largest wine-growing region in France) and its …
What food is Centre-Val de Loire known for?
Rillettes de Tours, poached eggs au Chinon, saupiquet nivernais, pâté berrichon with eggs, chicken en barbouille, nougats de Tours, Chinon peaches, sabayon de golden, prune candies, and dried pears are a good selection of this amazing cuisine.
How many chateaux are in Loire Valley?
But you can have too much of a good thing With more than 3.3 million visitors per year, the group of 42 chateaux that make up the UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Loire Valley is one of the most popular tourist destinations in France outside Paris itself.
What are the chateaux of the Loire Valley?
The Châteaux of the Loire Valley (French: Châteaux de la Loire) are part of the architectural heritage of the historic towns of Amboise, Angers, Blois, Chinon, Montsoreau, Nantes, Orléans, Saumur, and Tours along the Loire River in France.
What are the characteristics of a chateau in France?
Many of the châteaux were built on hilltops, such as the Château d’Amboise, while the only one built in the riverbed is the Château de Montsoreau. Many had exquisite churches on the grounds or within the château.
When was the Chateau de Chambord restored?
The Château de Chambord was confiscated as enemy property in 1915, but the family of the Duke of Parma sued to recover it, and that suit was not settled until 1932; restoration work was not begun until a few years after World War II ended in 1945.
What happened to the chateaux of the French Revolution?
The overnight impoverishment of many French noble families, usually after one of their members lost his or her head to the guillotine, saw many châteaux demolished. During World War I and World War II, various chateaux were commandeered as military headquarters. Some of these continued to be so used after the end of World War II.