Chateau de Dampierre-sur-Boutonne

Part Italian villa, part French château, 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. Tours of 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 château is an architectural gem with its sculpted gallery and mysterious alchemical décor. It lies at the heart of a meander of small enchanted islands with formal flowerbeds, a boxwood labyrinth, a flowering poplar grove and a small wood. It has played host to prestigious visitors from François I to Louis XIII, and later to the painter Dali. The estate was the scene of a life of games, science and pleasure, which the fun tour invites you to relive. There are 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, and a cultural and fun ecological walk in the gardens to discover nature and animals, both real and imaginary.