The Sleeping Beauty Castle
Overlooking the banks of the river Indre, as the original Sleeping Beauty castle; Charles Perrault, author of this beloved 17th-century tale, spent time here as a guest of the Count of Saumur and legend has it that Ussé inspired him to write the famous story.
Though parts of the castle are from the 1400s, most of it was completed two centuries later. By the 17th century, the region was so secure one fortified wing of the castle was demolished to allow for grand vistas over the valley and the castle gardens, newly designed in the style Le Nôtre had made so fashionable at Versailles.