Jean Fouquet c.1420 – 1481 was born, lived and died in Tours. No artist is more French. A gifted landscape painter, he set scenes from the Bible in his beloved Touraine giving many people their first glimpse of the beautiful French countryside.

6 January is when the French traditionally share a dessert, la galette des rois, with friends and neighbours. It’s usually filled with frangipani, said to be named after after Frangipani, Marshal of France under Louis XIII, although the facts do not bear this out.

The Christmas Candle may be a little dimmer in 2020, but thanks to the heroic efforts of the Mairie, Royal Château Amboise and the musicians of Nazelles-Negron it has not been extinguished.

In December 2020 archaeologists found two skeletons in the collegiate church of Saint-Ours de Loches. One is thought to be that of the Duke of Milan, Ludovic Sforza.

When Francois asked Estienne to print a series of books in Greek for his library, Estienne consulted Claude Garamont (pseudonym garamondus). Paris born and bred, Garamond, a pioneer type designer and punch cutter was one of the most respected and influential men in typographic history. His skill was in demand by all the finest printers in France.

Approximately 1hr from Paris by train, this photography masterclass tour is suitable for the beginner or experienced photographer.

This week marks the 20th Anniversary of UNESCO listing the Loire Valley as a World Heritage Site. Press Release: (it is) an exceptional cultural landscape of great beauty, comprised of historic cities and villages, great architectural monuments- the châteaux- and lands that have been cultivated and shaped by centuries of interaction between local populations and their physical environment, in particular the Loire itself.

Beauregard, a small, privately owned chateau in the Loire Valley, is well worth a visit. If it were not for two very special attractions it might have disappeared into the jaws of time because it was not built as a château or a manor house; it was built as a hunting lodge for Francis I.