Photo : Jcb-caz-11 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Château de Pennautier
Five kilometres from Carcassonne, the Château de Pennautier was built in 1620 for Bernard de Reich de Pennautier, treasurer of the States of Languedoc, who welcomed the young Louis XIII here in 1622. The king gave him his travelling furniture, with folding tapestries, still kept in the 'King's Bedroom'. His son Pierre-Louis, a great financier involved in the Canal du Midi and a friend of Molière, enlarged the château and had a French formal park laid out.
Nicknamed the 'Versailles of Languedoc' and listed as a historic monument, the château still belongs to the same family, which runs a large wine estate. It can be visited with its furnished salons, gardens and cellars, and the visit often ends with a tasting of the estate's wines.
