Château du Rivau is a castle-palace in Lémeré (Indre-et-Loire), in the Touraine region, France. In Rabelais' Gargantua, it was given to captain Tolmere as a reward for his victories in the Picrocholean Wars.

In 1429, towards the end of the Hundred Years' War, before the siege of Orleans, Joan of Arc and her followers came to fetch horses at Le Rivau, already renowned for the quality of its equipage and war horses who were raised there. In 1510 François de Beauvau, captain of King Francis I of France, constructed the monumental stables, in the outbuildings' courtyard, that supplied royal stallions. Those stables became the royal stables of Henri III and housed his stallions. An exhibit shows the history of the King's horses and tells the visitor about the mythical horses: Pegasus, Unicorn...

Since 1992, the new owners have undertaken a huge renovation campaign to prevent the decay of the castle, stable and winery. This ensemble is quite exceptional in the region and has been classified as a monument historique since 1918 by the French Ministry of Culture.

Let's follow Giovanna for the visit of the Castle, first outside

Then inside the Fortress

Every sides of the Castle and the moats

Let's continue the visit inside! Be careful, you might see some ghosts!

La salle des Trophées, celle du Festin de Balthazar, la salle Beauvau, celle des Dames, l'Oratoire, la salle Jeanne d'Arc, and her bedroom, 

Ghosts are coming! I told you first about the ghosts, right? At night they are coming! Dancing in front of you! And after that, they go straight inside the Castle! Be careful if you're sleeping inside! ^^

In this second day, it was time to visit the beautiful and amazing gardens of the Rivau Castle! The 12 gardens of Rivau are designated a Jardin Remarquable . They are inspired by fairy tales and legends and take the visitors on a beautiful and fantastical journey. The Rivau fairytale gardens are also a treat for rose lovers and gardeners, as they display a collection of more than 300 roses from famous rose breeders such as André Eve or David Austin.

Good Bye Rivau

As a big fan of Castles, I was completly amazed by the Rivau! And it was so hard to leave this beautiful place... If you go to the Loire, don't forget to stop by the Rivau, I can assure you will not regret it! 

A huge thanks to Patricia and Caroline for receiving us, I hope to see you soon in your dreamy Castle