François
Coty was a bulimic builder – the attitude of an ancient pauvre rather than a nouveau
riche, his biographer Alain Duménil states in Parfum d’empire. Last weekend, I had the pleasure of discovering
one of his most ambitious achievements, the Château d’Artigny near Tours in the Loire Valley, as a
guest of the“Vertiges du Parfum” festival.
The
estate of the Puy d’Artigny was purchased by Coty in 1912. He had the existing
château razed, since its “composite style” was not grand enough for his tastes.
Instead, he raised a château in the style of Louis XIV, with a bit of Louis XV
and XVI thrown in, but equipped it with the most modern comforts pre-WWI
technology could offer. The building was
finished in 1929, but Coty couldn’t enjoy for long, since he died in 1934.
The
Château d’Artigny has been a 4-star hotel since 1961, part of the Grandes Étapes
chain. I couldn’t resist sharing a few pictures of the place – taken with a
mere iPhone – since I thought you might be curious to know a place where Chypre might have been conceived…
To learn more about the Château d'Artigny, click here.
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Thanks for the photos and information on this, Denyse. The colors are lovely; I wonder which, if any, are original, aside from the mural. nozknoz
RépondreSupprimerI wondered as well, but didn't have the opportunity of asking. Since the place has been a hotel for the past 50 years, I imagine it's been refurbished a few times!
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