Experience the best of Chinon

Chinon lies along the north bank of the Vienne, its half-timbered houses and cobbled streets set beneath a long fortress ridge. The Forteresse royale has three linked castles, and it was here in 1429 that Joan of Arc met the Dauphin and urged him to be crowned. Henry II of England, the first Plantagenet king, died in the castle in 1189.

The writer Rabelais grew up in the countryside nearby, and his family house, La Devinière, is a museum. Fontevraud Abbey, where Plantagenet kings and queens lie buried, is a short drive west, while Azay-le-Rideau, the gardens of Villandry and the château of Ussé, said to have inspired the tale of Sleeping Beauty, lie to the north and north-east.

Chinon's red wine is made from Cabernet Franc and aged in cool tuffeau cellars cut into the hillside. Pork rillettes, creamy goat's cheeses from Sainte-Maure and river fish with butter sauce suit it. The wines are light enough to drink slightly chilled on a warm summer evening.