PROGRAMME
10:00 am
Meet with our guide at the tourist office and leave for La Riche in your coach. Guided
tour of the CHATEAU OF PLESSIS-LES-TOURS. During the 15th
century, Louis XI purchased this château and had a sober place made of brick and
limestone . Only a small part remains today. It became the king's favourite residence and
consequently the centre of the French Kingdom. In 1470, Louis XI decided to create a silk
factory in Tours.,. The Court of France, which lived in Tours, contributed to the success
of this new industry through their taste for precious fabrics.
This historical site, now closed to the public, was
converted into a theatrical creation centre called the "PLESSIS THEATRE".
It is the headquarters of the "Jose Manuel Cano Lopez" company, who will welcome
you and introduce their innovative project consisting mainly in re-establishing dialogue,
too often forgotten, between the Artist and the City. You will enter several rooms of this
place with a touch of magic, and discover a model of the XVth c. château as well as a
small theatre…. Refreshments will be served. In the garden, you will be shown a
400-year-old mulberry tree, remaining of those planted by Henry IV .
Continue towards Tours' preserved area
known as "Old Tours", now one of the city's prime sites, with
its narrow streets, many of which are pedestrian. Our guide will introduce the silk
activity from the XVth c. Then, you will discover very beautiful, often luxurious private
mansions which used to belong to silk merchants. You will Stroll through the picturesque
medieval streets where numerous shops still offer their rich crafts, and you will admire
the many XVth and XVIth century timber framed houses , standing particularly on the famous
"place Plumereau".
12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Lunch in a town centre restaurant.
2:15 p.m.
Leave with your coach for a sightseeing of the city, passing in front of the railway
station , the Town Hall, the Wilson Bridge, also called the Stone Bridge, and the banks of
the Loire river (a lovely view of the river).
2:30 p.m.
Arrival in the LE MANACH factory located on the right bank of the Loire
river for a guided visit. Founded in 1829 this factory is run by the same family for 5
generations. It stocks, creates and reproduces copies from old documents of high quality
either woven or printed from the XVIIth c. to 1930.
You will discover an operational and real
"conservatory" with approximately 80 hand looms upon which was added the
Jacquard mechanism , most of them are 130 cm wide. All the equipment is classified and
belong to the "Historical Monuments". You will see from the reeling to the
weaving, the making of prestigious upholstery fabrics, ordered by decorators, museum
curators, or owners of historical monuments throughout the world: Fontainebleau,
Compiegne, and Vaux-le-Vicomte châteaux; Luxembourg Grand-Ducal Palace, the Sans Soucis
Palace in Potsdam, Paul Guetty Museum in Los Angeles, etc. Explanatory video.
End of the day around 5:00 p.m.
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