Located in the heart of Amboise, in a 15-hectare green setting, the Domaine Royal de Château Gaillard, jewel and cradle of the Renaissance, is being rediscovered for the first time in 500 years.
The Domaine Royal de Château Gaillard was the site of the first Italian Renaissance gardens in France, known as “Les Jardins du Roy”.
On his return from the first Italian campaign in 1496, the young King Charles VIII, husband of Anne de Bretagne, accompanied by 10,000 French knights, fell in love with the beauty of Italian palaces, and decided to recreate at Amboise, in the amphitheatre of Château Gaillard, “the terrestrial paradise” discovered in the Kingdom of Naples at the Royal Palace of Poggio Reale.
To realize this dream, he invited 22 Italian artists to return with him to Amboise, including the “most famous gardener in Europe” in 1500: Pacello de Mercoliano.
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94fcba3c 570d 4ba1 8407 990e7f7b8f13The castle is built on the model of medieval fortified castles, with a central square building, the keep, and four towers at each corner. Inside the keep, there are five habitable levels built on the same model: four square apartments and four apartments in the round towers per level.
The double staircase is at the center of the building, giving access to the second floor (the floor of historic apartments), the second floor (the floor devoted to hunting and wildlife art) and the large terrace, before being crowned by the lantern tower and the fleur-de-lis, symbol of the French monarchy.
