The Indre, a department in the heart of the Berry region, is a land of tranquillity and lush greenery where castles seem to rise naturally from the forests of the Brenne and the valleys of the Creuse and the Indre. Less famous than its neighbours on the Loire, this region preserves an authentic, unspoilt and often inhabited heritage of castles, which will appeal to those who love exploring off the beaten track.
The Brenne, nicknamed the ‘land of a thousand ponds’, is home to ancient manor houses and stately homes that watch over these stretches of water teeming with birds. Further south, the Creuse Valley, which George Sand described so lyrically, unfolds its castles upon rocky promontories overlooking the river. Valençay, whose château was acquired by Talleyrand on Napoleon’s orders to host foreign ambassadors, is the jewel of the department with its Renaissance architecture and vast grounds where peacocks and fallow deer roam.
The Indre is also the birthplace of George Sand, and many of the region’s residences are linked to the novelist’s world: Nohant, where she lived and hosted Chopin, Delacroix and Flaubert, is now a house-museum offering a glimpse into the private life of one of the great literary figures of the 19th century.