Saumur – Anjou - Maine-et-Loire
Feature and photos by Jane Gifford
Winter brings a special romance to the Loire Valley. Take a gentle drive along the route of the Dukes of Anjou and enjoy the magic, as the river conjures castles and churches out of the mist …
On the rue des Ducs d’Anjou (D751), the village of Chênehutte -les-Tuffeaux nestles below a rocky promontory right next to the river on the south bank of the Loire. Smoking
chimneys and glistening rooftops appear through a rosy dawn, then melt and fade away. The XI Century church tower of Notre-Dame-de-la- Prée-des-Tuffaux is first to catch the morning sun.
The hill above commands a stunning view of the river. Benedictine monks built a priory here between X-XII Century. The monks fled with the invasion of the Normans but the Priory remained. Today it is a hotel, whose fairytale location makes this the perfect base to experiencethe winter romance of the river.
The local stone, tufa, is in the name of the church and the village. Miners tunnelled for many kilometres under these hills for the pure white limestone which made the region prosperous and its elegant architecture world famous.
© Jane Gifford 2014