Villandry was the last great Renaissance château built in the Loire valley. Of the original fortress only the keep remains. It is a great tower embedded in the present château, which was built in the 16th century by Jean Le Breton, Secretary of State to François I. Its spectacular gardens were restored to their Renaissance splendor earlier in this century by Dr. Joachim Carvallo, whose grandson continues his work today. They patiently reconstructed the formal French gardens of the 16th century. There are no other examples of such gardens.
There are three gardens; the kitchen garden (jardin potager), the ornamental garden (jardin d'ornament) and, on the highest level the water garden (jardin d'eau). The geometrically shaped flower beds are accentuated by yew trees and box borders. Each border represents a differenct arrangement of "hearts", the symbol of love. Canals, fountains, jets of water and vine-bearing pergolas add various effects. This architectural design is due to the influence of the first Italian gardeners brought to France by Charles VII, but French influence appears in many details. In the 16th century, flowers, shrubs and fruit trees were about the same as far as we know. Among vegetables, the potato was missing (Parmentier, who brought it to France, lived in the 18th century).
