The Loire Valley — Garden of France

Exactly 100 years ago, at the end of WWI, François Coty, the creator of the modern cosmetics industry and one of the world's richest men, decided to build himself a new home. He bought over 3,000 acres of land that included over five miles of river frontage. He promptly tore down the old chateau (originally built by a finance minister of Louis XV) and started building a new home intended to surpass Versailles in comfort, if not in size. He was proud that his Chateau, unlike Versailles, would have indoor plumbing and electric lights along with rooms for forty servants, a wine cellar for 45,000 bottles, cold storage for the lady of the house's furs as well as a walk-in dressing room with 78 closets. He finished it in 1928. When the Germans arrived they thought this was a dandy place, and moved in until the end of WWII. Coty's descendants have restored the family home and have invited Castles and Concerts to join them there next May.

We will provide wonderful hotel accommodations in the very heart of the city, and fabulous parties and concerts for three evenings. We'll dine on a rooftop overlooking the city and take a riverboat along the Seine at night to view the monuments, which are now magnificently lit up. Our Paris pre-trip is set-up so that you have three nights of parties and music with your friends in the heart of Paris while leaving the daytimes free to pick from among the thousands of choices in this most beautiful of cities.

We are pleased to offer two wonderful hotels right across the street from each other in the heart of Paris. Both the St. James Albany and La Regina are on the Rue de Rivoli at the Place de Pyramides at the west end of the Tuileries Gardens. The four-star St. James Albany is newly remodeled, chic, modern and very comfortable. La Regina is a five-star art deco masterpiece from the Belle Époque era. All the rooms that we have reserved have been upgraded to the deluxe or junior suite categories. Using two hotels offers us some flexibility in our pricing while being able to offer great suites and views to those who prefer to splurge.

As has become our custom, we will divide our group into several smaller groups during the daytimes. Each group will go on a different adventure and take lunch in a different restaurant each day on a rotating basis. So by the end of the week you will have the opportunity to enjoy all the excursions. We have had the great pleasure of visiting the many local châteaux, vineyards and gastronomic shrines in order to pick out the very best ones to share with you. For example, the Château de Chenonceau, built during the early 1500s, functioned as both a palace and a bridge. It's been a focal point of French history and French historical figures for 500 years. It's been owned by three queens and several mothers and mistresses of kings. The fact that it was the only bridge over the river for several miles saved it from being destroyed in the French Revolution. In WWII, the chateau straddled the border between the Nazi controlled and the “free” parts of France, respectively, with the front door and back door controlled by different governments. We'll hear many colorful stories.

We'll take lunch one day at the l'Etape Gourmande, a farm to table restaurant with a wonderful ambiance and lovingly prepared cuisine created in a 300-year-old farm outside the village of Villandry. We'll also visit the nearby Château of Villandry, which has one of the most famous gardens of France.

The fairytale Château d'Azay was built at the same time as the Château de Chenonceau. The finance minister of King Francis I joined with the mayor of nearby Tours, and used creative accounting to pilfer enough money to construct the first Renaissance-style chateau in France. The chateau was only half finished when the bookkeeping discrepancies were discovered. The minister lost his head and the mayor fled the country. After our visit, we’ll lunch in Les Grottes, a wonderful little restaurant built into the caves under a hill in the village.

We’ll visit Amboise and the Château du Clos Lucé, given by Francis I to Leonardo da Vinci. This is where the great artist and thinker of the Renaissance passed his last years. By coincidence, he died there in the first week of May 1519, so we will be there on the five-hundredth anniversary of his death.

When he died, the Mona Lisa, still unfinished, was on an easel in his studio. The studio is still there with many of his drawings and tools where he left them. Amboise is a wonderful little town. We’ll have some free time to shop or visit the grand palace of Francis I that towers over Leonardo’s chateau.

We’ll take a little walking tour of the old center of Tours. There are lots of antiquities from Roman times, a magnificent cathedral, as well as charming antiquary shops like from an old novel. We also have a gastronomic treat in store. Our sommelier in d’Artigny, Antoine, has arranged for us to lunch privately in Le Saint Honoré, a restaurant created by one of France’s rising culinary stars, Benoit Pastier.

In order to give you time to use the spa, ride horses, bicycles, helicopters or hot air balloons, we will keep one day free at the Château d’Artigny. Or maybe you’d just like a day to relax. It’s up to you.

Each day we will arrive back to the Chateau by mid-afternoon in time to relax before we start our evening festivities. We will offer an hour of talks, tastings, and demonstrations on diverse topics. We have already made several wonderful contacts concerning the art and architecture, wines and gastronomic specialties of the region.

On our accompanying visit to the charming town of Chartres, we will enjoy the delightful pedestrian medieval walkways replete with shops and cafés. And if you haven’t been to Versailles in several years, you should know that they now offer specialty guided visits in addition to the grand tour of Louis XIV’s apartments. You can visit the workshops, tour the jewelry (it takes an hour), visit the carriages or the gardens with heated soil where they grew fruits and vegetables for the king in winter.

By closing our trip at the Abbey, we will be close enough to the airport to catch a morning flight home on the day we finish the trip without having to stay overnight at the airport.