Troglodyte Villages of Saumur

Quarrying tuffeau, the soft white limestone used to build the Loire chateaux, hollowed out the cliffs along the river, and people moved into the voids: cave houses with chimneys rising through the rock, wine cellars, bread ovens and stables. Two types exist here. Cliff dwellings face the Loire and its tributaries. Plateau dwellings, best seen at Rochemenier, are dug straight down from flat farmland into a courtyard with rooms opening off it, invisible until you stand at the edge. Some caves are still homes, others are restaurants, wine cellars, mushroom farms or a museum village. The stone hardens on exposure to air.

What you actually see

• Rochemenier - a plateau village dug down into farmland around courtyards.
• The cliff dwellings - houses and cellars cut into the Loire escarpment.
• The chimneys - stacks emerging from open fields above the caves.
• Working caves - wine cellars, mushroom beds and cave restaurants.

When to go

April to October; most sites close or reduce hours in winter. Caves stay around twelve degrees year-round, so take a layer even in August.

Honest expectations

Sites are scattered and a car is needed. Some are modest, with limited English explanation. Cave restaurants require booking. Underground passages are cool, damp and sometimes low.

Nearby

Saumur lies east; Doue-la-Fontaine is south.