The Good Life France Magazine




The Good Life France Magazine brings you the best of France - inspirational and exclusive features, fabulous photos, mouth-watering recipes, tips, guides, ideas and much more...


Published by the award winning team at The Good Life France

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1 year ago

Autumn 2023

  • Text
  • History
  • Culture
  • Free magazine
  • Cooking
  • French life
  • Recipes
  • Normandy
  • French
  • Provence
  • France
  • Chateau
  • Bordeaux
Brimming with fabulous features and stunning photos, inspiring destination guides, scrumptious recipes, history, culture and much, much more: Discover Provence, Ariege, Brittany, Normandy, Burgundy and Bordeaux, explore southern and northern France, secret places and exquisite castles. Bringing France to you - wherever you are.

In the village of

In the village of Château-Verdun I felt as if I’d stepped into a time tunnel and was wandering the corridors of the past. Jas (who studied art history) and Karina have done a huge amount of research to bring the castle back to its most authentic self. They’ve worked with French experts from Versailles, historic authorities, and with teams of experts from around the world to help and guide them, restoring the medieval beams, preserving the gilding, the frescoes, wooden panels, marble fireplaces and other historic features. A local plasterer in his 80s came out of retirement to help them as the skills needed are no longer commonly known. Guests are encouraged to join in the supervised restoration in one of the dining rooms where you can help with the painstaking work of restoring the 18th century wall frescoes – it’s a fascinating experience. Chestnut the cat the sculpted panels and carvings that represented the Sun King, Louis XIV - Gaspard de Salles had spared no expense. Algae from the damp conditions caused by the roof caving in had spread everywhere. Fireplaces were hanging off the walls and floors had collapsed. Now those rooms are coming back to life. Through the windows, though it was the middle of spring, the snow glistened on the peaks of the mountains. Clouds hung low almost blanketing the windows. The sound of a waterfall can be heard. Bruce showing the way Jas 14 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 15