Would you be captivated by the idea of travelling back to the XIX Century and seeing with your own eyes how the French aristocracy lived back in the day?
Would you like to spot first hand a few noble people intent on walking around the gardens with all those sumptuous, uncomfortable dresses? Or take a peek of them eating their delicious food? Or maybe you would even love to be involved in a conversation with a Duchess!
Very sorry, although that part would be great, it’s just not possible... yet. What is very much possible instead is to admire a real princely residence, see exactly what it looked like, from the disposition of the furniture to the art displayed. Where can all of this be discovered? In France, of course! Not too far from Paris, heading North.
Today we talk about the Domaine de Chantilly, a new entry in the CloudGuide community; this marvelous castle and it’s gardens, covering more than 115 hectares of land (the French- style one, the Anglo- Chinese and the English Garden) represents one of the finest cultural heritage in the Country.
We owe the actual magnificent of the Domaine to the Duke of Aumale, which inherited the place from his godfather when he was only 8 years old. Later in his life he dedicated himself to the military career, carrying with him the personal motto “I will wait”.
He definitely waited and, as the great collector he was, he brought to the castle (that meanwhile had been destroyed and rebuilt) all the precious art works he assembled during the many years.
Having him lost his sons, he decided to leave the property to the Institut de France, as long as they would allow people to visit the Condé museum and the collection inside. The painting collection, for example, is almost as big as the one of the Louvre. Highlight: The Three Grace, by Raphael!
Straight out of a fairytale, the Domaine de Chantilly is waiting to be discovered in real life and on the CloudGuide App.