Blet, Centre-Val de Loire 18350

iad France - Marie Miqueau offers: CHTEAU DE BLET / CLASSIFIED PICTURESQUE / FULLY FURNISHED / 2H30 FROM PARIS / 30 MINUTES BOURGES TRAIN STATION AND AIRPORT / 30 MINUTES CIRCUIT MAGNY-COURS / 40 KM FROM SANCERRE. The Cher, a department of the Centre-Val de Loire, leaning against the voluptuous hills of Sancerre, neighbouring Berry and Sologne, a corner of greenery where the Loire river sings. Blet, a small village perched on a hillock at an altitude of 180 metres, hides an old medieval fortress of which only an engraving and the echo of the footsteps of Richard the Lionheart walking through its walls remain. In the 11th century, Eude de Sully built a castle on the ruins of a Roman villa. Maintained and magnified by the same family for almost 1000 years, it is known in its last form thanks to the Marquis de Nicola and his wife De Bonneval whose coat of arms adorns the entrance doors. Even if you can see it from the village, you have to pass through the high gate, walk along the path winding through the trees, cross the hundred-year-old ginkgo tree to finally marvel at the unvarnished elegance of this castle listed with 10 centuries of history. The two buildings set at right angles and the three corner towers offer approximately 2500m2 of living space spread over five levels and composed of 72 rooms including 25 bedrooms (16 to be restored). The visit begins on the south side under the care of the De Bonneval lions where two large glass doors open onto the entrance to the castle on the ground floor: The wide stone staircase invites you to explore, but you must first follow the passage of the old outbuildings on this level to discover a space converted into a warm living room, office and family kitchen where modernity flirts with the traditional stone of Normandy. On the same level, you will find the boiler room, cellars, service rooms and the castle's former butcher's shop. It's time to go back in time, and therefore the staircase, to discover the heart of life of the castle on the first floor: First of all, the large reception room, a marvel of the past where the light shines on the magnificent wall panelling from the Chteau de Bercy of which the Marquis de Nicola was the last owner. The large dining room also surprises with its openings onto an imposing terrace overlooking the village and the surrounding countryside to the west. To follow, small and large living room, smoking room, library and an antique kitchen. The small chapel of Sainte-Thrse, nestled in the heart of one of the towers and adorned with coats of arms, is a piously end to the visit of this level. As the time for war is over, the walls of the house have been pierced over the years with large blown glass windows that bathe the place in a dazzling light. Everywhere the eye is delighted by the wall decorations, the Venetian pale parquet floors, the marble fireplaces in each room, the antique furniture left by many generations... On the second floor, the long, sunny corridor leads to nine carefully decorated bedrooms, eight of which have their own bathrooms. Different styles are celebrated. The last two levels of the castle are marked by the mark of the past and you can get lost and walk through more than thirty rooms that bear witness to the intense life that reigned in these places until the nineteenth century. These parts need to be renovated, but you can only work your imagination to quickly restore them to their former splendour.... Outside, on the east side, the terrace of the main courtyard gives a view of the 18 hectares of the estate laid out in the English style, and in particular of the majestic bridle path known as de la Folie , an old Roman road leading to Sancerre and listed in 1981. Still to the east, the outbuildings of the castle of about 1700m2 are divided into several complexes including the stables and a converted cottage with a capacity of 8 people. Not to mention the castle's small theatre, a marvel to restore for the most creative. The roof