Catherine de Medici, Queen of France, and Diane de Poitiers, the King's Mistress.
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| Chateau de Chenonceau. |
Gain an insight into the lives of these two extraordinary women, both attached to King Henri II, but completely different in personality. I find much to admire in both of them, and they were both certainly survivors in a court full of intrigue and danger. I will love revealing their secrets to you -- from what products they used in their hair, to how they got men executed. The two women were in fact second cousins, but there was no love lost between them. There has been a trend for history lovers to side with one or the other of them, but I will show you that both have qualities we can admire. The more I learn about both of them the more I respect them. No other guides go into so much detail about how they changed attitudes to women for generations to come and what they teach us about what it was like to be a woman in 16C France. I'll also talk about how they manipulated their own images to suit their aims in what seems a very modern way. They are just two of the women who owned the Chateau of Chenonceau.
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| Portrait of Catherine de Medici, collection of the Chateau Royal de Blois. |
Itinerary
*meet at the Sphinxes halfway down the driveway of the Chateau of Chenonceau.
*go out onto the terrace where I will show you how each of them developed the chateau.
*go inside the chateau where we will see Catherine de Medici's private office, and other rooms on the ground floor where I will talk about various objects in the collection that bring their stories to life.
*if there is time we will go upstairs to the museum gallery and bedrooms.
*when the tour is over you will have the opportunity to visit the chateau independently -- there is a lot to see!
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| The stableblock at the Chateau of Chenonceau, commissioned by Catherine de Medici. |
This tour can be customised to suit specific interests -- for example it could be extended to include a full guided tour of the chateau. Just ask me what is possible.
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| Diane de Poitiers' garden at the Chateau of Chenonceau. |
Duration: 1 hour.
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| The Chateau of Chenonceau spans the Cher River. |
The tour is one hour, but you may explore the chateau independently afterwards.
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| Anteroom in Catherine de Medici's private apartments, Chateau of Chenonceau. |
This is a walking tour. The paths at the Chateau of Chenonceau are compacted hoggin. The ground floor is wheelchair accessible.
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| Catherine de Medici's garden, Chateau de Chenonceau. |
Price: €75 for groups of up to 4 people. Admission tickets are not included.
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| The cutting and kitchen garden, established by Diane de Poitiers. |
Booking: email admin@tourtheloire.com at least one day before you wish to take the tour. Tours can be conducted on any day of the week, throughout the year, at a time to suit you.
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| Diane de Poitiers built the bridge over the Cher, Catherine de Medici built the gallery over the top. |
About the Guide: I am Susan Walter. I specialise in story telling, the weaving together of this fact and that, this character and their relationship with another. It is a technique which brings alive the history of what is sometimes just stones to look at, but those stones may lead to something wonderfully evocative and provide a better understanding of the past. Much of the history of the Loire Valley is about important characters which you will have heard of, but there is a great deal of hidden history too -- characters who have been forgotten in modern times, motivations for deeds which seem inexplicable can become clear, how different life was then, but also how similar. If you want to know who would graffiti a royal chapel and why, and why it isn't who most guides will tell you it is, then take a tour with me. If you want to know about the history of bathing and personal hygiene, and how that isn't quite what you think it is, then take a tour with me. If you want to meet fascinating characters from history who really made a difference, often women, then take a tour with me.
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| Portrait of Diane de Poitiers by Francesco Primaticcio, collection of the Chateau de Chenonceau. |
English speaking, born and raised in Australia, I lived for 12 years in England, where I worked for the National Trust in their Historic Buildings Conservation Department, and now in the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Loire Valley for more than a decade. I am an active heritage and nature conservation professional with experience of working with conservators and curators to care for historic objects and buildings, and with ecologists caring for our natural environment. Deeply embedded in the local scene I speak quite good French and enjoy life in a small village near some fabulous chateaux and lovely countryside. I'm always happy to talk about life in France and am friends with many wine makers and local food producers.