Description of the attraction
Villandry Castle, the last to be built in the Loire Valley, is famous for its vast lush gardens. They are so magnificent that tourists often admit: they did not remember the castle itself, everything was overshadowed by the gardens.
Although the castle is undoubtedly also worthy of attention. It was built on the site where the feudal fortress of Colombier once stood. In 1189, in the tower of this fortress, the French king Philip-Augustus negotiated with his enemy, the English king Henry II. The negotiations ended with the signing of the Colombier Peace Treaty in favor of Philippe-August. In 1532, the new owner, Jean le Breton, built a castle in the French Renaissance style here, leaving the old foundation and the donjon tower. The castle differs from other local ones in that it was not owned by the king or his favorite, but by a major official - le Breton was minister of finance under Francis I, superintendent during the construction of the castle of Chambord, ambassador to Rome.
There, in Rome, he became interested in gardening. He applied his knowledge to build a castle - at its foot, le Breton laid gardens, already famous outside the Loire Valley.
In the 18th century, the estate was sold to the Marquis de Castellane, who rebuilt the building in the neoclassical style and decorated the gardens in the English spirit. Ownership passed from hand to hand (including the property of Napoleon's brother, Jerome Bonaparte). A truly new life began at the castle when it was acquired by Joachim Carvalho.
The Spanish physician Carvalho bought Villandry in 1906 when the estate was in decline. The then owners were going to demolish it if no one buys the castle. Carvalho saved Villandry and has spent all his money on him ever since. He returned the former Renaissance look not only to the building, but also to the area around it.
A spacious "water garden" with swans, surrounded by linden avenues, sculpted hedges, four "gardens of love" … All these beautiful and fragrant areas are on different levels (the view from above from the castle is unforgettable). The descendants of Carvalho, who still own the estate, continue to develop it: in 1970, a pharmacy garden was opened, and in 2008, a “garden of the sun” on the uppermost terrace.
But, perhaps, the most favorite part of the local territory among tourists is the vegetable garden. Ornamental flower beds (I can't call them beds) of nine square plots of the garden are a real masterpiece of Villandry. Thoroughly thought out not only the geometric shapes, but also the color combinations of forty types of vegetables: gray leeks, red beets, jade-green carrot leaves give the impression of a multi-colored checkerboard. Ornamental cabbage growing next to roses is not inferior to them in beauty.
Only nine gardeners work here, and they have enough work: since 2009, the garden has become organic - no pesticides are used, natural dressings are used to treat and nourish plants, weeding is done manually.
In the gift shop, you can buy seeds of local plants to try to grow the same pumpkins, poppies, forget-me-nots or the very ornamental cabbage yourself - it is adorable.
