Château de Troussay in Cheverny

You're standing at the Château de Troussay in Cheverny, one of the smallest châteaux of the Loire Valley. No giant keep or endless wings here, just a cosy manor house full of surprises. Start with the front façade. It clearly borrows from the famous Château de Chambord, with slate set into the chimneys, stone mullioned windows and little towers topped with pinnacles. On the right-hand tower there's a sundial with a Latin motto ending in carpe diem: seize the day. On the left-hand tower, a clock with only an hour hand. And that holly in front of the house? It's said to be more than five hundred years old. Local Sologne tradition held that its prickles would keep troublemakers away.