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The Loire flows through regions with highly varied soils, and carries their sediments all the way to the sea. The Loire Valley’s landmark monuments and castles could be built thanks to the mining of its limestone.

The Loire’s course extends over more than 620 miles (1,000 km), connecting the Massif Central to the Atlantic. It collects water from a vast drainage basin and allows human settlements and myriad ecosystems to thrive.

Exploring the quays at Orléans, Tours or Saumur gives us some idea of what the bustling boating activity must once have been like on the Loire. It gave rise to a “Loire civilisation” around trade and the journey of occupations, plants and ideas.

A defining feature of the Loire Valley landscapes, vineyards epitomise the link between know-how and land. They tell us about history, geography, the ups and downs of trade and tastes. They have adapted and must now anticipate climate change.

In the Loire Valley, traditional constructions often merge with the hillsides hollowed out by the river’s erosive force or because of stone extraction. The most prominent Loire castles can be seen standing on the plateau edge.

The Loire Valley’s acclaimed gardens draw on traditional know-how developed by religious communities, mediaeval agricultural practices and cultural ideas brought back from the Italian Wars.