Normandy: Emblematic Private Châteaux, Estates, and Gardens
September 22-30, 2018
The ICAA is pleased to present this tour of the châteaux, estates, and gardens of Normandy. The tour offers a rare opportunity to savor unique architecture, decor, remarkable art collections, and stunning gardens.
The tour will be led by Pamela Huntington Darling and Caroline Holmes, author of eleven books and member of the tutor panel of the University of Cambridge's Institute of Continuing Education. She lectures for the Royal Horticultural Society as well as the Arts Society in Great Britain, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, and is a regular contributor to BBC television and radio.
This tour is arranged by Pamela Huntington Darling, Consultant and creator of exclusive cultural travel programs. For more information, please email Pamela Huntington Darling ([email protected]tours.com), visit www.exclusiveculturaltours.com, or call +33 1 45 67 62 81.
Please note a fully tax-deductible donation of $500 per person is required to participate in this travel program. All travel program participants receive a complimentary Individual level membership for one year to the ICAA.
Image: Château de Brécy, wikimedia/Pimprenel
Château de Brécy
Participants will enjoy a private visit and luncheon at Château de Brécy and gardens with the owner, Didier Wirth, President of the Fondation des Parcs et Jardins de France. Originally designed in the 17th Century, the gardens are among the most impressive in Normandy and are reminiscent of the great gardens of Italy.
Château Alexis de Tocqueville
Participants will experience a private visit to the Château Alexis de Tocqueville. Built and expanded during the 16th, 18th, and 19th Centuries, the Château is unique for its harmonious architectural diversity and history. Privately owned by the Count and Countess de Tocqueville, it is listed as a French national landmark.
Château de Sébeville
The tour features a private reception with the owners at the Château de Sébeville, rarely opened to the public. Beautifully restored by the owners, the elegant Château was built in 1719 and is listed as a French Historic Monument.
Jardin Botanique at the Château de Vauville
During the tour, participants will experience a private visit with the owners to the Jardin Botanique at the Château de Vauville, listed as a French Historic Monument. The garden is designed as a succession of "rooms" of greenery overlooking the sea, located in a subtropical atmosphere.
Château de Balleroy
Participants will enjoy a private visit and reception at the Château de Balleroy, purchased in 1970 and restored by the late Malcolm Forbes and his son Christopher Forbes, who is today the current owner. The outstanding 17th Century Château was designed by the legendary classical architect François Mansart, and its stunning gardens were created by Henry Duchène on the designs of André Le Nôtre.
Château de Brouay
During the tour, participants will experience a private visit of Château de Brouay with the owner, Baron d'Aboville. The Château, which is not open to the public, was built in the 17th and 18th Centuries. Following will be a tasting of the family's calvados, produced on the grounds.
Villa Strassburger
The Villa Strassburger is a superb Anglo-Norman manor with beautiful gardens on a hill rising above the sea. An example of the Belle Epoque holiday home, the Villa was built for Baron Henri de Rothschild on the site of a farm belonging to Gustave Flaubert's family. In 1924, the Villa was purchased by Ralph Beaver Strassburger, a press magnate and racehorse owner and breeder, before becoming the property of the Town of Deauville in 1980.
Here, participants will enjoy a private reception.
Château du Champ de Bataille
Participants will visit and dine at Château du Champ de Bataille, the historic residence of the renowned interior designer Jacques Garcia.
The Château has been renovated and decorated over the past 25 years, and features magnificently restored French gardens by Patrick Pottier, inspired by André Le Nôtre.
What’s included
- A stay at the luxurious Château de Canisy, listed as a French Historic Monument, welcomed by the owners Count and Countess de Kergorlay
- A stay at the Hotel Le Normandy Deauville, a seaside resort in Deauville, as well as a stay in Paris at the Hotel Duc de Saint Simon in Saint-Germain-des-Prés