Chalmazel Castle

In the heart of the "Evening Mountains," in the only ski resort in the Haut Forez region, in the land of the fortified castles of Couzan, Marcilly, Rochefort, and Urfé, where the Renaissance sowed the first masterpieces of the new Italian art, Chalmazel stands majestically, overlooking the Lignon Valley, the valley of Astrée and Honoré d'Urfé, which would later flow into the still-young Loire River, after crossing the Way of St. James, at the foot of Montverdun and La Bastie.

Since 1231, the proud Château des Marcilly-Talaru has remained intact, with its ramparts and underground passages, surviving the feudal wars, an impregnable fortress according to the wishes of its founder, Count Guy IV of Forez.

The Marquises of Talarue, returning from the Italian Wars, added only their Renaissance embellishments: its façade, the galleries of the inner courtyard, and the paintings in the chapel. Come and relive eight centuries of history, 60 km from Roanne and Saint Étienne, less than an hour from Lyon and Clermont Ferrand.