Chateau Life
The current incumbent of this enormously tall chateau that's been handed down a long line of an illustrious family is the Marquis du Brissac, a charming man who often comes from his apartment on the upper floors to greet visitors and tell them a bit about the castle.
"My parents did most of the hard work here, restoring and renovating" he says modestly. He takes his responsibility to this big house seriously and constantly stresses what an absolute joy it is to be able to live in the chateau.
His generation, he and his wife have four children, is the first to live there full time. Previous family members lived there only part of the year. In days gone by the Dukes of Brissac would follow the French royal family or live in other homes around France and especially in Paris.
"There are many good things about living here" says this amicable Duke, "one of them being that the town is on the doorstep and it’s a lovely town where you can find a friendly bar with great beer!"
The Chateau de Brissac is a privately owned home that had been in the same family since 1502 – May 26th to be precise! It was bought by a French lord by the name of Brissac and it’s lived in today by his descendants. Set in gorgeous grounds in the town of Brissac-Quincé, located in the département of Maine-et-Loire, Loire Valley, this chateau is the tallest in France at a whopping seven stories - a folly of towers and chocolate box pretty. Janine Marsh visits and chats to home owner the Duke de Brissac…