King And Queen Of The Castle

Although less familiar than their Loire Valley counterparts, the châteaux of Burgundy-Franche-Comté offer a range of attractions, as Catriona Burns discovers

Mention French châteaux and most people will think immediately of the Loire Valley. But contrary to popular belief, the Loire does not have the largest number of châteaux in France. That distinction goes to BurgundyFranche-Comté, where around 500 dot the landscape of green hills, vineyards, waterways and villages. Ranging from imposing fortresses to romantic Renaissance confections, in settings of manicured gardens, ancient woodlands and precipitous cliff faces, the diversity rivals the Loire Valley, too.

Many of these stately homes and castles used to be the exclusive domain of the great and the good of Europe, but nowadays just about anyone can have a château experience, whether it is sleeping in a four-poster bed, attending a masquerade in a lavish ballroom, or enjoying great food and wine at a candlelit dinner. In Burgundy-FrancheComté, anyone can be king – or queen – of the castle.

For art lovers…

Château d’Ancy-le-Franc, Yonne Set in beautiful parkland in the commune of Ancy-le-Franc, east of Auxerre, the eponymous château is a jewel of the Renaissance. It was the work of Italian architect Sebastiano Serlio, who helped to design the palace of Fontainebleau, and was built in the 1540s. Serlio had been summoned to court by François I and given the task of fulfilling the king’s dream of having a real Italian castle.

Using Burgundy limestone, Serlio, a master of symmetry, created an elegant quadrangular building encircling a magnificent courtyard where statesmen used to arrive on foot. The riches continue inside, which houses the biggest collection of Renaissance murals in France.