The château was originally built as a castle by the Counts of Anjou in the 11th century. The château has seven stories altogether, making it the tallest château in the Loire Valley. During the mid-1990s, the château was prominently featured as the temporary stadium for the Iron Chef French Battles, of the original Japanese Iron Chef television show.

As we explore the Loire Valley one cannot fail to notice the abundance of dwellings dug into the slopes and rock faces of the landscape. These are referred to as troglodytes and are the results of the local people’s desire to use their environment to its full potential. The tufa stone that these dwellings are cut from is soft, manageable and easy to work, so they had the double benefit of selling the quarried stone while creating a living or working space for them or their families. The troglodyte caves have the advantage of staying at a fairly constant 12 degrees centigrade thus making them a good all year round habitat that provided heat in winter and remained cool in summer as well as giving good protection from the elements.