Loire-Anjou-Touraine Regional Nature Park, Regional nature park between Tours and Angers, France.
The Loire-Anjou-Touraine Regional Nature Park is a protected landscape between Tours and Angers featuring forests, rivers, and limestone cliffs. It spans hundreds of villages and includes numerous medieval castles integrated throughout the terrain.
This protected area was designated in 1996 to conserve the Loire Valley landscape and its blend of nature with human settlement. Centuries of wine cultivation and farming have shaped the region into what visitors see today.
The park's name joins Anjou and Touraine, the historic provinces whose former capitals, Angers and Tours, frame its territory. Its landscapes rest on two worked stones: pale tuffeau limestone, which gives the Loire villages and castles their cream colour, and slate for the roofs. The Maison du parc at Montsoreau, opened in 2008, holds a permanent exhibition on the region's landscapes and its people, from a fisherman to a quarryman.
The visitor center provides information about trails and guided tours exploring the diverse landscape. Wear comfortable shoes and plan your visit around seasons, as conditions and activities vary throughout the year.
The park's name joins three historical provinces, yet its territory was drawn around the river rather than an old cultural border. Its 141 member communes cover 270,858 hectares, and the Loire still flows freely through the park without dams or locks altering its course.
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