Villandry

Villandry has given Chenonceau a run for it's money in my book. The gardens at Villandry are so beautiful and the castle is very charming too. We spent a good afternoon visiting the castle and the grounds. Be sure to go early enough in the afternoon so that you can see everything!

Villandry was built in 1536 by Jean le Breton who was one of François the 1st's Finance Minister. He also oversaw the construction of Chambord. At one point in his career, le Breton was an ambassador to Italy. It was there that he saw the Italian Renaissance garden.

The only original part of the XII century castle is the old tower keep. The rest of the castle is a mixture of Renaissance and Classical styles. The castle changed owners and styles a couple of times before being bought by Dr. Joachim Carvallo (Spain). He abandoned a career as a scientific and devoted the rest of his life to the restoration and beautification of Villandry. He is also responsible for the gardens that we see today on the castle grounds.

The Gardens

The Ornamental Gardens

The Ornamental Gardens are in fact four small squares that represent an allegory of the "Gardens of Love". "Tender Love" is represented by hearts separated by the flames of love in the corners. In the center are the domino masks that were popular during balls.  "Passionate Love" heart this time broken by passion. The box hedges are criss crossed and from a maze.  "Fickle Love"," Four fans in the corners symbolise the volatile nature of feelings, between the fans are thorns of the jilted lover and in the center love letters.".  "Tragic Love", "The design represents the blades of daggers and swords used during duels. In the summer the flowers are red to symbolise the blood spilt during these fights.".

The Water Garden

This garden is in the shape of a Louis XV mirror and is surrounded by boxwood trees.

The Herb Garden

This herb garden is dedicated to aromatics, cooking, and medicinal herbs. There are over 30 varieties of herbs that were considered essential for family life.

The Kitchen Garden

The Renaissance vegetable garden is divided into 9 equal sized squares of different geometrical shapes. The squares are planted with vegetables of contrasting colors to give a checkerboards effect.