Bonjour! At the beginning of the month, we had a weekend away in the French countryside, driving through villages, staying in a château hotel and visiting our dear friends at Château de Sourches. You may recall that I have posted several times about Château de Sourches and the Conservatoire de la Pivoine, the largest peony collection in the world, which was created by our friend, Bénédicte de Foucaud, in the dry moat around the chateau. Experiencing this incredible collection in the setting of the Château is an unforgettable experience. See my previous post here for more about the collection.
The Château is their family home as well as the center for the Conservatoire. Open to the public each year during May, visitors can enjoy not only the unique peony collection but also the tranquility of the countryside and the expansive atmosphere of the Château and grounds. Within the castle is a shop offering all things peony, including their own scented products, linens, scarves, candles and dozens of specially commissioned botanical watercolors of the individual peony varieties in the Conservatoire, all of which can be ordered online. Lunch and teas are served outside in the shadow of the stone walls.
The peony collection has expanded to an area in the back of the Château, surrounding a magnificent statue, long a part of the estate.
The day was overcast but warm and the clouds added a mysterious and timeless air to the majestic scene.
The Château, about 30 minutes outside of Le Mans, is an easy trip from Paris if you take the one-hour train to Le Mans and rent a car right in the station. France is well set up for such jaunts, with all major car rental companies represented in the outlying city stations. By taking the train and getting a rental car locally, you can be somewhere like Sourches, or the Loire Valley châteaux, in less time than it takes to drive out of Paris and its ever-present traffic.
Thank you again, to Bénédicte, Anne, Alexandre and Jean for another magical and enriching visit to your wonderful home!
Château de Sourches
Conservatoire de la Pivoine
Saint-Symphorien 72240
France
You can follow them on Instagram for updates as to opening times in the coming years.
À bientôt!
xo
G
Great photos. What an extraordinary place!