Chaumont-sur-Loire

Chaumont means "bald mountain" in old French and there are many places called chaumont around the country. This is Chaumont-sur-Loire, which is on the Loire about halfway between Blois (upstream) and Amboise (downstream). The château was built starting in the late 1400s, replacing a couple of older fortified castles that had stood on the site from about the year 1000 until then. The building as we see it today was not finished until the year 1510.

Just above are a view of the château and the houses in the village beneath it from across the Loire river, and also a view of the river from up on the château grounds, looking toward Blois.

The Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire is the castle that Diane de Poitiers, who lived in at Chenonceau, was "exiled" to when king Henri II died in a jousting accident in 1559. His wife, Catherine de Médicis (French spelling of the Italian name) wanted Chenonceau for herself. There is some evidence that Catherine had bought Chaumont and had planned an eventual swap back then.

Just above are views looking down on the village church and up the Loire toward Blois (notice the modern bridge), and looking down the Loire toward Amboise Notice the islands (or sandbars) in the Loire. Finally, there's a photo of a Renaissance-era tile floor inside the château.