Located in the the town of Azay-le-Rideau in the Département of Indre-et-Loire about 22 km/13.7 mi from Villandry, 26 km/16 mi SW of Tours and set on an idyllic island in the middle of the River Indre.

Constructed during the early years of the 16th century the new Château was built on land purchased by Giles Berthelot, adviser to King Louis XII, in the new Renaissance Style over the ruins of an old fortress and was completed in 1522.

Berthelot intended to live here but King François I, who succeeded Louis, discovered financial irregularities in the financing of Azay’s construction. Berthelot had to flee to Cambrai, not part of France at that time though his financier colleague Jacques de Beaune of Semblaçay wasn’t so lucky and literally lost his head!