Historic Places | Arts Centre | Sporting Activities | Spectator Sports | Flora & Fauna | This Week | Touring Routes
|
Châteaux  Aerial view of Château d' Ancy-Le-Franc. ChAteau d' Ancy-le-Franc Rich and mellow like a good Burgundy wine, the interior of the château at Ancy-le-Franc envelopes you in history. The lofty carved ceilings, the Italian tiled floors, frescos and friezes, there is decorative detail to absorb at every turn. The Marquise de Sévigné wrote in her letters that it is a French building ‘in Italian dress’.  Italian influenced murals and flooring. From the outside there is perfect symmetry. The central courtyard, which has recently been beautifully restored, is formed by the four wings with a tower at each corner. Designed by Sebastiano Serlio in 1542 for the Duc de Clermont-Tonnerre, there are Italian influences throughout in the materials used, the murals and ceilings. No expense was spared, down to the burr maple insets in the parquet flooring. The château contains one of the finest collections in France of mural paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries. Painters from Burgundy, Flanders and the School of Fontainbleau, such as Il Primaticcio and Niccolo dell’Abate have realized their masterpieces here. There is a fine private chapel, ornate galleries and bed chambers. The Flower Room is particularly special, with panels illustrating 30 different flower species; inspiration one feels for many interior designers that followed. Continuing on with the restoration work, the Pharsale Gallery was reopened in June 2005. This is a 32m long ochre monochrome mural of the battle of Pharsale, a fairly gory affair by all accounts.  On an island, in a pond, the folly. The château stands in a beautiful park with an 18th century folly on a romantic island in the middle of a pond. * Château d' Ancy-le-Franc is open from April to mid-November with guided tours from 10.30 to 17.00. Closed Mondays. Groups throughout the year by reservation. (tel: 00 33 (0)386 75 14 63) * Concerts in the château are held once a month throughout the season. Places to stay nearby
Places to visit nearby Pam Elson ©burgundytoday.com
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
