The Good Life France Magazine – Autumn 2024: The latest issue features brilliant guides, features and stunning photos, mouth-watering recipes from top chefs, culture, history and much much more.
Discover Paris & its hidden gems and dodge-the-drizzle treats, beautiful Bordeaux and it’s secret seaside sensation, Cap d’Agde, Corsica and the off-the-beaten track Cele Valley in the Lot, Narbonne, Lyon & Languedoc and many more fabulous French gems.
The young Parisian left everything behind to protect this 12th-century monument. Gastronomy is also a key part of life in the Périgord. In this region that cherishes quality produce, chef Pierre Corre cooks black truffles like no one else.
Read more: https://f24.my/A0gb.y
The Good Life France Magazine – Autumn 2023: The latest issue features A real-life sleeping beauty castle at Chateau de Gudanes, the historic city of Rouen, and highlights of Saint Malo, Brittany, Breton and Provence…
Every year, almost half a million visitors flock to Chantilly, one of France’s most beautiful castles. Located an hour from Paris and built in 1358, its princes greeted Louis XIV for sumptuous banquets. In the 19th century, Henri D’Orléans, Duke of Aumale, restored the château and turned it into an exceptional museum, containing the second-largest collection of paintings in France after the Louvre and more than 45,000 books. From restorers to gardeners and horseriders: behind the scenes, more than 100 people work every day on the upkeep of Chantilly. FRANCE 24 takes you to meet them.
The #castle of the counts of #Perche stands on a hill overlooking the #French town of Nogent-le-Rotrou, in the central Eure-et-Loir department. This thousand-year-old fortress, testament to a wealth of local history, is now a museum. Through nearly 400 objects, it takes visitors on a journey through time, from the Middle Ages to the French Revolution. FRANCE 24 takes you on a tour.
The castle of Saint-Jean dominates the town and is a fine example of medieval architecture and of the history of Nogent-le-Rotrou. The rectangular keep is 30 metres high and is 60 metres above the Huisne valley. Its construction began in the first years of the 11th century after the first Lord of Nogent, Rotrou I. The end of 12th century and beginning of the 13th saw the construction of the circular enclosure and 7 defensive towers. The castle of Saint-Jean has withstood many sieges in its time, the most violent was probably in 1428 when the Count of Salisbury burnt the keep and destroyed the inside of the building. In 1624, de Sully became the owner and built the attractive Louis XIII pavilion against the north rampart. The interior has been completely renovated since the 1960s and now houses a local history museum with exhibits and documents about country life in Perche, as well as on the history of the town and the castle. It also houses various temporary exhibitions.
The castle, part of the Rochefoucauld family fiefdom for a thousand years is concealed from the visitor’s eye. Passed the automatic entrance gates, a long tree-lined bridle path with park and woods on one side and outbuildings on the other, turns towards the end to reveal the impressive façade. The estate stretches the length of the village or perhaps the reverse.
Ground floor: The entrance archway with its mosaic floor tiles leads, on one side, to a small lounge that opens into a through dining room featuring a beautiful coffered ceiling and kitchen that was moved up to this floor in 19th century. Behind the dining room is one of the four staircases and a small bedroom and ensuite bathroom.
First floor: Two more intimate lounges are to be found on the ground floor for a cosier family atmosphere. Four bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, two of which have their private toilet and a fifth one with a shower room. Two of the bedrooms are very formal, full of history and decorative features: they have seen visitors such as Charles Quint in 16th century and Queen Mum in 20th century.
The library: Originally, a renaissance gallery linked the castle to the library and chapel. The library had always been part of an ensemble. It is located in the centre, built on the site of a former watchtower and features a vaulted ceiling.
The main courtyard: An ornamental pond is fed by water from the river thanks to a clever system bringing water up to a tank on the library roof and from where it is then poured. Under part of the main courtyard, there are large vaults, built together in 15th century with the consent of King Charles VII, with an additional defensive wall, after helping the La Rochefoucauld to reconquer their castle.
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