卢瓦尔河畔的城堡

The Loire， the longest river in France， rises south of the Central Massif and flows into the Atlantic Ocean 1020 km later. This is the part that goes from the city of Orleans to the city of Tours， enclosing that area of the Loire Valley in which over 100 magnificent castles lie.

What we are looking at is the castle of Beauregard. In this residence the central part has a double gallery with arcades opening onto the ground floor， which was commissioned by Jean de Thier， secretary of state to Henri II. There is a collection of paintings quite unique in the world.

This sumptuous salon， built in the 17th century， which is covered with exquisite woodwork and has a marvelous ceiling with decorated beams， contains over 300 portraits going from the first sovereign of the Valois up to Louis XIII of Bourbon. Here is Charles VIII， Louis XII and Francois I， it was primarily they who brought to the region： painters， cabinet-makers， sculptors， and architects， who were to live and work here.

In this chapel， which has a nave and two aisles， there lies the tomb of a genius： Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo arrived in Ambries in 1517， having been invited to the court by Francois I， and was put up in this residence which is called Cols Luce. The artist lived out the last years of his life here and Francois I acquired that masterpiece that even today represents one of Frances treasures： the Mona Lisa.

We continue on our way to visit another very special castle： Villa dry. Built on the banks of the Loire in 1536 it is distinguished by its architectural peculiarity， which is characterized above all by its rectangular pavilions instead of round towers. But its fame is especially connected to the marvelous Italianate gardens. Here in Villa dry he called Don Pacello da Mercogliano to the courts， which were more a great Italian artist rather than a gardener. On the lower level， there is the decorative vegetable garden， the most visually striking and original of the whole estate. It is amazing to see how simple lettuces and vegetables manage to have this ornamental quality.

Excellent wines are produced in the many vineyards in the ancient province of Touraine， which lies around Tours. Wines that make you love this area even more， just as the great writer Honore de Balzac also loved it. And in Touraine you also learn to love wine. Its history dates back as far as the Gauls and its international. Reputation has certainly no need of further comment.

The ones here are the dry white Sancerre， strong and vibrant， Vouvray， sparking and clear， it looks like a waterfall of pearls. This wine reminded Rabelais， the great writer of the 16th century， of taffeta， a silky and delicate fabric.

Those who love glowing reds will not be disappointed by the Loirs Valley： here is Bourgureil， with the strong perfume of raspberries. Chinon， on the other hand， has a delicate hint of violets.

And so， glasses raised. A toast to the beauty of these dreamlike places.

A journey on the Loire is a meander in history， art and daily life. It is in corner of Europe that etched itself deeply in the heart and mind.

卢瓦尔河是法国最长的河流。它发源于中部山区的南部，绵延1020公里后，流入大西洋。这里是位于奥尔良和图尔斯之间的河段，其中就有卢瓦尔河谷， 100多座宏伟的城堡屹立于此。

现在我们看到的是波尔加德堡。这座建筑的中心有一个双层画廊，其拱廊通向第一层。它是由亨利二世的国务卿Jean De Their授权修建的。这里收藏了世界上独具特色的绘画作品。

这座修建于17世纪的豪华艺术沙龙，外部饰有精美木艺，房顶的椽子也被精心装点。这里保存的300多件人像的历史可以上溯至Valois开国王朝时代，下到波旁王朝的路易十三世时期。主要是查尔斯八世、路易斯十二世和佛兰索瓦一世这些统治者把画家、木匠师、雕塑家和建筑师带到了这片他们生活工作的地方。

在这个设有一个小广场和两道回廊的礼拜堂里，安葬着一位天才——来昂那多·达·芬奇。应佛兰索瓦一世约见，达芬奇于1517年来到安布瓦丝堡，并被安排住在Cols Luce。艺术家在此度过了晚年，而佛兰索瓦一世也得到了堪称法国国宝的不朽之作——《蒙娜丽莎》。

我们继续向前，参观另一座很有特色的城堡——Villa dry。它于1536年建于卢瓦尔河畔，建筑特色使该城堡闻名遐迩。矩形的亭子是它最为显著的特色，而不是寻常的圆塔。不过跟它的大名尤其相关的是那意大利式的花园艺术。在Villa dry，意大利园艺师皮埃尔·德·迈柯利阿诺更像是一位艺术家，而不是园艺师。在地势低的地方，还有一个装饰性的蔬菜花园，自然最原始的本色成为最令人赏心悦目的景致。看到这些最普通的菜蔬这么努力地装扮一方天地，不禁让人赞叹。

优质的葡萄酒产自法国省区——都兰的许多葡萄庄园中，这些庄园遍布都兰，历史悠久。葡萄酒会令你对该地更加神往，就如同伟大的作家巴尔扎克一样对这里产生迷恋。在都兰，你还能学会爱上葡萄酒。追溯历史，早在高卢时期，当地葡萄酒的美名就已经响誉天下，无需赘述。

这里有桑塞尔白葡萄酒，味烈劲大。沃莱白葡萄酒，振奋清爽，看起来就如珍珠串成的瀑布，这种酒曾被16世纪的伟大作家拉伯雷喻为柔滑精细的丝绸织品。

这里出产的酒有浓烈鲜艳的Sancere和眩目清澈的Vouvray，那看上去如同珍珠般的瀑布。这种酒在16世纪法国作家Rabelais的笔下被比喻成一种精美的丝织品。

那些喜爱红酒的人也不会在卢瓦尔河流域失望，这里的Bourgureil酒散发着悬钩子果浓郁的香气。Chinon酒则呈现出着紫罗兰雅致的韵味。

那么，就让我们举杯，为这里梦幻般的美景庆祝。

畅游在卢瓦尔河，仿佛漫步在历史、艺术与现实的交错中。在这欧洲的一角，它已被深深镌刻在人们的心灵中。