The Château de Chambord, which is the largest castle in the Loire Valley, was built in the 16th century over a period of almost three decades (1519–1547). King Francis I originally wanted it to be a hunting lodge. Chambord has 400 rooms, 80 staircases and 365 fireplaces! It is also located in a park that spans 5,000 hectares.
Pisa is the capital city of the Province of Pisa and is nested in the beautiful region of Tuscany. Once a Roman colony and then a Christian bishopric, it became a flourishing commercial center in the 11th century and a center of woolen manufacturing two centuries later. While it is famous worldwide for its leaning tower, it also has many historic churches and medieval palaces, as well as a 14th-century university and a Square of Miracles. And scientist Galileo Galilei was born there. The origins of the city's name remains a mystery until today. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, "Pisa lay by the sea until the 15th century, by which time accumulated silt deposited by the Arno River had completely cut the city off from the receding shoreline."
On June 10th, 1944, a 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich gathered all the inhabitants of Oradour-sur-Glane without any explanation. The soldiers led the men to barns and sheds, shot them in the legs, then set the buildings on fire. Their next order was to burn the church where the women and children had been locked. Those who tried to escape were met with machine-gun fire. Afterwards, the village was looted. In total, 642 people died. After the war, French president Charles de Gaulle had a new village built nearby. It serves as a memorial and museum. Oradour-sur-Glane is located in the department of Haute-Vienne, 25 kilometres west of Limoges. Visiting it will force you to confront the savagery and pointlessness of war. It is a necessary and haunting experience!