Chateaux of Burgundy

Saturday
The forecast was promising us good weather, so we went out for the day, visiting a couple of chateaux in Burgundy - Chateau de Tanlay, shown in the left top two photographs, and Ancy-le-Franc, bottom left and all the interior shots. Tanlay is still privately owned and inhabited, so photography was not permitted inside. However, the interior of Ancy-le-Franc was far superior anyway.
We arrived at Tanlay in time for an early lunch, which we enjoyed at a little creperie/pizzeria next to the Canal de Bourgogne. We then went for a little walk in the grounds of the chateau, while waiting for the chateau to re-open after lunch. The château dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries. The property belonged to the family of Admiral de Coligny during the Religious war and afterwards to Particeli d'Hemery, Mazarin's finance superintendant. From 1700 to the present day, the  property has remained in the family of the marquis de Tanlay. Afterwards, we treated ourselves to an ice cream, which we ate while walking down to the canal. Then we returned to the car and continued on to Ancy-le-Franc, only about 12 km away.
The chateau was built for Antoine III de Clermont, who inherited the grounds of Ancy-le-Franc after the death of his mother, Anne de Husson, Comtesse de Tonnerre. The architect was the renowned Italian architect of the day, Sebastiano Serlio, a master of symmetry and 16th century architecture, and who had been summoned to the French court by François I. Building started in 1542 and is thought to have been completed in 1550. It holds a rich decor, attributed to some of the most celebrated Italian, Flemish and Burgundy artists of the 16th and 17th centuries. Some of the highlights are beautiful tiled floors, painted walls and magnificent coffered ceilings. Unfortunately we didn't have time to explore the park, since they were about to close, which was a shame as it looked very pretty. We had a little wander round the rest of the village, then went for a walk along the canal enjoying the beautiful evening light, before enjoying dinner at a canal-side restaurant in the nearby village of Chassignelles.

One year ago: Bracken