Château du Bousquet, Montpeyroux, France

Château du Bousquet was built in the 14th century. Today it hosts a museum of ancient art from the Middle Ages to the present day. The castle has very well-preserved sample of late medieval architecture (furnished interior, furniture, objects, paintings).

The castle, which belonged for four centuries to the Roquefeuil-Blanquefort family, comprises six towers (two hexagonal in the middle of the two front and rear facades, four rounds at each corner). The central tower of the south facade, which contains the staircase is pierced on the ground floor of a radiating Gothic door. The typically feudal and defensive character of the castle is somewhat mitigated by the existence of later windows on the three floors. The defensive system which surrounded it (enclosure, ditch, fortifications) disappeared, replaced by two wings in the 17th century. Inside, the ground floor has kept its kitchen intact, with the mesh stage where the musicians were based. The chapel retains a decoration painted by Debert in 1709.

User Reviews

Antoine H (9 months ago)
Beautiful balanced construction, although modified at several times. The visit provided by one of the owners retraces in all simplicity the state of knowledge on the building. The interior is a temporal and geographical mixture without great coherence, but which gives an indication of the tastes of the successive chatelains. We are grateful to these families who take care of the heritage.

Raphaël PUCCI (9 months ago)
A superb place. The visit is very nice, the guide has a lot of humor !!! Too bad that only a very small part of the castle can not be visited ... and as the visit lasts 1h30, we stay too long in each room!

Jasmine COUSTON (10 months ago)
Magnificent castle, not visited but we ate next door with a view of the castle. Quiet on tables available to the public. Great for a very small place like this. There is even a bread oven if needed.

Michel L (2 years ago)
???

daniel Debouche (3 years ago)
Le château est superbe mais pas le guide.

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Royal Palace of Naples

Royal Palace of Naples was one of the four residences near Naples used by the Bourbon Kings during their rule of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (1734-1860): the others were the palaces of Caserta, Capodimonte overlooking Naples, and the third Portici, on the slopes of Vesuvius.

Construction on the present building was begun in the 17th century by the architect Domenico Fontana. Intended to house the King Philip III of Spain on a visit never fulfilled to this part of his kingdom, instead it initially housed the Viceroy Fernando Ruiz de Castro, count of Lemos. By 1616, the facade had been completed, and by 1620, the interior was frescoed by Battistello Caracciolo, Giovanni Balducci, and Belisario Corenzio. The decoration of the Royal Chapel of Assumption was not completed until 1644 by Antonio Picchiatti.

In 1734, with the arrival of Charles III of Spain to Naples, the palace became the royal residence of the Bourbons. On the occasion of his marriage to Maria Amalia of Saxony in 1738, Francesco De Mura and Domenico Antonio Vaccaro helped remodel the interior. Further modernization took place under Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies. In 1768, on the occasion of his marriage to Maria Carolina of Austria, under the direction of Ferdinando Fuga, the great hall was rebuilt and the court theater added. During the second half of the 18th century, a 'new wing' was added, which in 1927 became the Vittorio Emanuele III National Library. By the 18th century, the royal residence was moved to Reggia of Caserta, as that inland town was more defensible from naval assault, as well as more distant from the often-rebellious populace of Naples.

During the Napoleonic occupation the palace was enriched by Joachim Murat and his wife, Caroline Bonaparte, with Neoclassic decorations and furnishings. However, a fire in 1837 damaged many rooms, and required restoration from 1838 to 1858 under the direction of Gaetano Genovese. Further additions of a Party Wing and a Belvedere were made in this period. At the corner of the palace with San Carlo Theatre, a new facade was created that obscured the viceroyal palace of Pedro de Toledo.

In 1922, it was decided to transfer here the contents of the National Library. The transfer of library collections was made by 1925.

The library suffered from bombing during World War II and the subsequent military occupation of the building caused serious damage. Today, the palace and adjacent grounds house the famous Teatro San Carlo, the smaller Teatrino di Corte (recently restored), the Biblioteca Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele III, a museum, and offices, including those of the regional tourist board.

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