Sunday
We will meet you at the St Pierre des Corps rail station outside of Tours, France, in the afternoon and then we will transport you on to your luxurious Chateau home for the week in the amazing Loire Valley. After a tour of the Chateau, you will enjoy a meet-and-greet with homemade hors d’oeuvres and locally produced wines. Then you will have time to relax, take a walk on the grounds, or just unwind in the rooms of the Villa until it is time for your Gourmet Welcome Dinner. Welcome retreat activity in the evening. Gourmet Dinner prepared by Le Cordon Bleu-Paris Alum Chef Walter and Artistic Gourmet Adventures.
Monday
After a homemade breakfast at the Villa, Nia and retreat activities til noon. We will then visit our friends, an English-speaking wine expert and viticulturist couple, Cathy and Nigel, at Le Tasting Room in the nearby countryside. The afternoon begins with homemade gourmet lunch and includes a comprehensive tasting in the comfort of their old cave like home. During the afternoon Cathy leads a tutored tasting of 6 different wines from 6 appellation regions of Loire Valley wine. This means you’ll come away with a greater understanding of the region as a whole and have tasted wines from at least 7 different producers during the day.
After, home to relax before your Gourmet Dinner at the Villa. Nia wind down. Breakfast and Gourmet Dinner provided by Le Cordon Bleu-Paris Alum Chef Walter and Artistic Gourmet Adventures at the Chateau. Homemade Lunch provided by Le Tasting Room.
Tuesday
Nia Good Morning then Breakfast at the Villa. Nia and retreat activities til noon. After Breakfast at the Chateau we will head out to the Château de Chenonceau. Once a royal residence, it is truly exceptional due to its destiny: to be loved, managed and protected by women such as Diane de Poitiers and Catherine di Medici. The Château is one of the best-known of the Loire valley châteaux. The estate of Chenonceau is first mentioned in writing in the 11th century. The current château was built in 1514–1522 on the foundations of an old mill and was later extended to span the river Cher. Today, the Château de Chenonceau is second only to Versailles as the most visited Château in France. We will enjoy lunch in a local restaurant* Nia wind down. Breakfast and Gourmet dinner provided by Le Cordon Bleu-Paris Alum chef Walter and Artistic Gourmet Adventures at the Chateau.
Wednesday
Breakfast at the Chateau. After breakfast, we will visit the nearby Château of Villandry. The last of the great Renaissance châteaux to have been built on the banks of the Loire River, the Château of Villandry is renowned for the harmony of its architecture. It is especially well-known for its gardens that spread across three terraces and combine aesthetics, diversity, and harmony. The gardens include a water garden, ornamental flower gardens, and vegetable gardens and are laid out in formal patterns created with low box hedges. The lands where an ancient fortress once stood were known as Columbine until the 17th century. They were acquired in the early 16th century and a new château was constructed around the original 14th-century keep where King Philip II of France once met Richard I of England to discuss peace. During the French Revolution the property was confiscated and in the early 19th century. Emperor Napoleon acquired it for his brother Jérôme Bonaparte.Lunch in a local restaurant*. Head back to the Chateau for a wonderful dinner prepared by Chef Walter and Artistic Gourmet Adventures. Nia wind down. Breakfast and Gourmet Dinner provided by Le Cordon Bleu-Paris Alum chef Walter and Artistic Gourmet Adventures at the Chateau.
Thursday
After breakfast, we will venture out for an exciting morning of shopping at the weekly town market in Chinon. Amazing deals can be found in clothing, shoes, crafts and local and regional delicacies. After lunch at the market*, we head to Martin de Candre, maker of hundreds of locally made artisanal French soaps (savonnerie artisanale), once sold in Barney’s of New York and great for gift-giving. Then home to our Chateau for a wonderful Gourmet Dinner. After dinner Nia wind down. Breakfast and Gourmet Dinner provided by Le Cordon Bleu-Paris Alum chef Walter and Artistic Gourmet Adventures at the Chateau.
Friday
Breakfast at the Villa then Nia and retreat activities til noon. Then we are headed to Amboise. Amboise is a town in central France’s Loire Valley. It’s known for the Château d’Amboise, the grand 15th-century residence of King Charles VIII featuring Leonardo da Vinci’s tomb, as well as royal chambers, gardens and underground passageways. Just outside town, Château du Clos Lucé is Leonardo’s former home, where he lived until his death in 1519. It houses a small museum displaying working models of his designs. Lunch at a local restaurant* After a full day we will return to the Villa for our farewell gourmet dinner. Nia wind down.
Breakfast and Gourmet Dinner provided by Le Cordon Bleu-Paris Alum chef Walter and Artistic Gourmet Adventures at the Villa
Saturday
After a filling breakfast, we will then escort you to the rail station in St Pierre des Corps for your return to Paris or on to your next destination! Toute l’heure-see you soon!
*Meals marked with (*) not included in price.
