Montrésor (nº 3)

“This tiny medieval settlement, clustered on the hill around its château, sits above the shallow waters of the Indrois River. With its ancient stone houses, half-hidden gardens, and profusion of flowering plants, it is picture-postcard perfect and invites leisurely exploration. Foulques Nerra, Count of Anjou [the old province to the west] built the original feudal fortress...” Contruction started in the early years of the 11th century.

2012

That's what the Signpost Guides Loire Valley book says about Montrésor. The medieval fortress is on the right in the photo above. Five centuries after it was built, at the beginning of the 16th century French Renaissance, a local lord named Imbert de Bastarnay— grandfather of Diane de Poitiers of Chenonceau fame — changed Montrésor's silhouette by constructing the residential château on the left in the photo. Similarly, Saint-Aignan, 15 miles to the north, is also the site of a Renaissance château and the nearby ruins of a medieval château-fort.