LOIRE PASSION GUIDE
Aurzelle da Silva
Private certified guide
Guide conférencière diplômée
Seeing the Loire Valley Differently
Découvrir la vallée de la Loire autrement
TEL . +33(0) 627 292 452
Discover the Loire Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with an experienced, native English speaking, university certified including a Masters in Medieval Art History, and local long time resident guide.
Every château has a story to tell. The Loire Valley was the disputed territory between the French and the English crowns in the middle ages, was the birthplace of the Renaissance in France, and is the heartbeat of the royal history of these periods. It is known as “the valley of the kings” – and queens. Richard the Lion Heart and the Plantagenets, Joan of Arc, Francis I, Catherine de’Medici and Rabelais have all left their imprint on this area. With a lot of insight, passion and humour I try to communicate this: history is first of all a story
Architecture also tells a story. Medieval and Renaissance châteaux, Romanesque and Gothic churches, historic towns and beautiful villages, as well as the Loire and its confluents, are most in proximity to one another, all with their own stories to tell.
I like to show visitors both sides of the Loire Valley: its famous castles, but also its less known sights that so many tourists miss.
Azay-le-Rideau, photo Berthé
Chambord, photo Ludovic Letot
Personal presentation:
I grew up in the arts in New York City where I lived and worked until moving to the Loire Valley in 2003, where I live now as a fully bi-lingual resident year round, giving me the chance to live and study its history deeply; I completed my Master in Medieval Art History at the University of Poitiers specialized in the subject; some of this research will be published. I have been certified as a guide - guide-conférencier- in history and art history at the University of Clermont Ferrand in France, and I have worked as a guide for many years in different capacities. It is a different point of view that I try to bring, a total, comprehensive look fed by my diverse experiences in the arts and my studies that I seek to share, to make your experience of the Loire Valley as rich and resonant as possible.
A certified guide or guide-conférencier is someone who has studied and has a degree in French Patrimione, and so has the right to guide in National Monuments and Museums.
Master in Medieval Art History, specialized in Plantagenet Art - the fresco at the Chapel of Saint Radegonde, Chinon. This new and original research is published and referenced by the CESCM (Centre of advanced studies in medieval civilisation). "La chasse royale - L'image en mouvement et sonore. La Fresque énigmatique de la chapelle Sainte Radegonde à Chinon," (N° 255 Cahier de civilisation médiévale ) Article in French, "The Royal Hunt - the Image in movement and sound. The Enigmatic Fresco in the Saint Radegonde Chapel, Chinon."