Château de Candie ★★★★

The ancient town of Chambéry, home of the Dukes of Savoy and gateway to the Alps, also has the proud distinction of being the home of Jean-Jacques Rousseau when he wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Man. It has been an important French-Italian meeting point since the 11th century and some of the town’s venerable buildings attest to this long history. We were looking forward to exploring its pretty streets and ancient architecture after settling into our destination, the most imposing of all venerable edifices, the Château de Candie.

The sight of the Château elevated our flagging spirits as we approached after a long day on the road. We saw an imposing stone building with a tall central tower and long low-level buildings connecting it to another smaller tower wrapped in Virginia creeper. The buildings form a courtyard around a pretty manicured garden adorned with pergolas, statues and fountains. There is a lovely large pool surrounded by neat hedges for privacy, and set slightly away from the main building so that it retains its timeless and undisturbed château charm.

Surrounding all this is six hectares of parkland filled with mature trees and rare species of plants. It was a lovely environment for a morning stroll, or an evening under the stars. When we arrived, the concierge welcomed us with a beaming smile. She arranged for our luggage to be delivered to our room while we enjoyed a reviving glass of wine on the terrace overlooking the garden and fountains. Our room was large, the bed huge and comfortable. The floor was decorated with pale terracotta tiles and the wallpaper had an intricate floral design that reminded us of William Morris, but more French! The whole feeling was comforting and luxurious old-style country chic.

When we felt refreshed enough for dinner, we made our way to the restaurant L’Orangerie, a room in grand château style with old reddish terracotta tiles, decorated wooden wainscoting and carved panelled doors, golden curtains and pure white linen with just a crimson splash of a single elegant flower. My bœuf Simmental was perfect, followed by a truly memorable French classic, tarte au citron. Sleepy and satisfied, we retired to our comfortable bed, happy in the knowledge that our rules of the road were standing us in such good stead!