The Château at Brézé

Just a little to the South of Saumur is a chateau at Brézé.  It has two claims to fame: The first is that it has the deepest dry moat in Europe, and the second is that it started as an underground fortress.   Under the modern French-style chateau is a series of caves and caverns that were used by the populace in the 1600s to shelter from raiders and plagues, or even plagues of raiders, and in times of peace, were used for grain and other storage.

The place is undergoing a serious upgrade, I'm sure that a small fortune is being spent.  The grounds are being redone, the entry is disabled-compatible (with a wheelchair lift), and the outside walls have been cleaned.  You can also hire one of the halls for events; there was a marriage reception being prepared while we were there.

Sorry, no pics of the caverns, it was too dark.  And I left my swanky camera at home, (that's to say, I forgot it) so I only had the phone camera.