Fodor's Expert Review Jardins de la Chatonnière
Editor's Note: This location is no longer in operation.
Situated 4 km (2½ miles) north of Azay-le-Rideau and overseen by Madame Béatrice de Andia—one of the grandes dames of the Loire—the 15-acre Jardins de la Chatonnière will make most visitors emerald-green with envy. Framing the private, turreted Renaissance château are seven spectacular visions, each garden devoted to a theme, including L'Élégance and L'Abondance, in the extraordinary shape of a gigantic leaf.