Usually associated with splendid Renaissance châteaux and historical monuments, the Loire valley is in fact a place of even greater interest than the image of popular perception. The Loire River itself is the longest in France and passes through a succession of landscapes, many of them of a richness that proves this is truly "the garden of France." And there is variety too, reflected in the buildings and settings of the beautiful villages so stunningly illustrated in this book.

Traveling west, James Bentley and Hugh Palmer take us first to the communities around Orléans, the villages of the Loiret and Cher départements. We then progress to the lands around Blois and Tours, where, it is said, the purest French is spoken. Here begin the villages with the great chateâux, such as Chambord, Cheverny, and Azay-le-Rideau, reached by long roads lined with poplars or lying beside the banks of one of the many tributaries of the Loire. The slopes here are frequently vine-clad, producing the delicious white wines that make such a fine accompaniment to the traditional fish cuisine of the region. And finally we arrive at the villages around Angers and Nantes where willow-lined rivers divide a landscape of quiet opulence, and green fields alternate with market gardens growing vegetables, flowers, and fruit.

Over thirty villages of the Loire valley are described and beautifully photographed in this book, which is completed by special sections on wine and food and abbeys and churches. As with all the volumes in The Most Beautiful Villages series, there are appendices listing the most important sites, markets, hotels, and restaurants.

James Bentley is the author of the volumes on Tuscany, the Dordogne, Burgundy, England, and Brittany in The Most Beautiful Villages series. Hugh Palmer is one of Britain's foremost photographers of rural life. His previous books include many titles in The Most Beautiful Villages series.

ISBN 0-500-51051-2 · 10 ¹/₄" x 12 ¹/₂" · 280 color illustrations · 208 pages · TRAVEL / PHOTOGRAPHY

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