Chateau de Dampierre-sur-Boutonne

Part Italian villa, part French castle, this architectural gem is famous for its alchemical gallery and its islands with their gardens and labyrinth. It was the guest of François I, Ronsard, Louis XIII, and later the painter Dali. Visits to the interiors, exhibitions, horse museum; "cabinet of wonders"; treasure hunt. A jewel of the Renaissance XVI, the Dampierre estate nestles in the Boutonne Valley. The castle is an architectural jewel with its sculpted gallery and mysterious alchemical decoration. It is at the heart of a meander of small enchanted islands where French-style flowerbeds, a boxwood labyrinth, a flowering poplar grove and a small wood are spread out. It was the host of prestigious visitors, from François I to Louis XIII, and later the painter Dali. The estate was the scene of a life of games, science and pleasure that the playful tour invites you to relive. Guided tours of the interiors, a children's trail, art exhibitions in the orangery and the Grand Comble, a museum of horses and equestrian art in the old stables, a "cabinet of wonders" in the high tower, a space dedicated to the artist Salvador Dali, a cultural and entertaining ecological walk in the gardens to discover nature and real or imaginary animals.