If you had been a king or someone with noble standing in 15th century France, you would have wanted to have a nice home in the Loire Valley (pics).  This part of France was very fertile and yielded some of the best grapes in the world as well as a variety of vegetables.  The valley has a moderate climate, there was ample game for hunting and the Loire River was there to provide transportation for whatever could not be had locally.  The result is a concentration of lovely châteaux, the vast majority of which are still privately owned while, fortunately for us, others are open to the public to gawk at.

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