The Château d'Ambleville is a French Renaissance style château located within the regional park of Vexin. The gardens are classified among the Notable Gardens of France.
The château was built in the 16th century for the seigneurs of Ambleville and Villarceaux by architect Jean Grappin, on the foundations of a medieval castle on the banks of the Aubette. In the 17th century, the house was acquired by the Duke of Villeroy, Nicolas V, the Ambassador of France to Medicis. He created a garden in the Florentine style. The house was purchased in 1893 by Charles Sedelmeyer (1837–1925), who restored the chateau and added a theater and Venetian chimneys and balconies. In 1928 the new owner, the Marquise de Villefranche, remade the gardens after those of the recently restored gardens of the Villa Gamberaia in Florence. Today they offer one of the best examples of an Italian Renaissance garden in France.
References:Manarola is a small town, a frazione of the comune of Riomaggiore. It is the second-smallest of the famous Cinque Terre towns frequented by tourists, with a population of 353.
Manarola may be the oldest of the towns in the Cinque Terre, with the cornerstone of the church, San Lorenzo, dating from 1338. The local dialect is Manarolese, which is marginally different from the dialects in the nearby area. The name 'Manarola' is probably a dialectical evolution of the Latin, 'magna rota'. In the Manarolese dialect this was changed to 'magna roea' which means 'large wheel', in reference to the mill wheel in the town.
Manarola's primary industries have traditionally been fishing and wine-making. The local wine, called Sciacchetrà, is especially renowned; references from Roman writings mention the high quality of the wine produced in the region.