Things To Do in Azay-le-Rideau

In addition to the town's famous palace, 4 kilometers (3 miles) east of Azay-le-Rideau (take D17), you can visit Saché, the hometown of Honoré de Balzac. Here he wrote The Lily of the Valley and declared that his affection for the Touraine was like "the love of the artist for his art." Of interest to fans is the Musée Balzac, in the 19th-century Château de Saché, Saché 37190 (tel. 02-47-26-86-50; www.musee-balzac.fr). The small château contains the writer's bedrooms, preserved as they were when he lived here. A collection of Balzac's notes, first editions, etchings, letters, and cartoons are on display, as is a copy of Rodin's sculpture of the writer.