Royal castle of Loches,

Royal castle of Loches, Loire Valley 'Real' South of France Tours Carcassonne View from William the Conqueror’s castle in Caen, Normandy But medieval fortresses still stand across France. Walk around William the Conqueror’s ducal castle at Caen, a town that celebrates 1000 years of history in 2025; explore the imposing riverside fortresses at Angers on the Maine with its 17 towers; Chinon on the Loire, where Henry II breathed his last and Loches, where Joan of Arc persuaded the French king-in-waiting to let her lead his armies against the English. In the shadow of the Pyrenees, close to the Spanish border, discover the many defensive additions to UNESCO-listed Carcassonne. Begun in the 12 th century by the powerful local viscount, La Cité de Carcassonne grew in importance as a military fortress, before being abandoned after the end of the Franco- Spanish war in 1659. But in 1844, restoration work began on the orders of Prosper Mérimée, Inspector General of Historic Monuments, who entrusted the project to Viollet-le-Duc, an architect passionate about Gothic and Medieval architecture who had already supervised work on Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Purists may argue with Le-Duc’s interpretation of how he felt Carcassonne should look, but without him, 21 st century visitors may never have had the chance to explore this marvel of medieval construction. EXPERIENCE THE AMAZING CULTURE, HISTORY, FOOD AND WINE IN OCCITANIE THE REAL SOUTH OF FRANCE realsouthoffrancetours.fr 30 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 31