Editing Château (section)

===Loire Valley===
{{Main|Châteaux of the Loire Valley}}
[[File:Vue du château du Rivau depuis les jardins (allée des fées).jpg|thumb|left|[[Château du Rivau]]]]
The [[Loire Valley]] (Vallée de la Loire) is home to more than [[châteaux of the Loire Valley|300 châteaux]].<ref name="Whittaker2008">{{cite book |last=Whittaker |first=Andrew |title=France: Be Fluent in French Life and Culture |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rPXlfvqY55UC&pg=PT25 |year=2008 |publisher=Thorogood Publishing |isbn=978-1-85418-493-1 |page=25 |access-date=6 November 2015 |archive-date=29 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129130015/https://books.google.com/books?id=rPXlfvqY55UC&pg=PT25#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> They were built between the 10th and 20th centuries, firstly by the French kings followed soon thereafter by the nobility; hence, the Valley is termed "''The Valley of the Kings''". Alternatively, due to its moderate climate, wine-growing soils and rich agricultural land, the Loire Valley is referred to as "''The Garden of France''". The châteaux range from the very large (often now in public hands) to more 'human-scale' châteaux such as the Château de Beaulieu in [[Saumur]] or the medieval [[Château du Rivau]] close to [[Chinon]] which were built of the local [[tuffeau]] stone.<ref>{{cite book|title=Ouvert au public|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KYgMAQAAMAAJ|year=1983|publisher=Editions de la Caisse nationale des monuments historiques et des sites|language=fr|page=111|access-date=6 November 2015|archive-date=29 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129125944/https://books.google.com/books?id=KYgMAQAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>
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