Many of you turned out to enjoy the various spring events in a friendly, family atmosphere. After two years of restraint, it was like a return to the festive spirit!

Open Gardens for Neurodon

The adage "in May, do as you please" fits perfectly with this early season.

The sun was out in full force, and the gardens of the Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil were in full bloom, perfectly illustrating the purpose of the "Jardins ouverts pour le Neurodon" operation, the well-being that nature brings and its benefits for the brain. During the weekend of May 7 and 8, €2 from each admission ticket was donated to the FRC (Fédération pour la Recherche sur le Cerveau). An opportunity to discover the park and gardens of the Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil while doing a good deed. See you next year.

Garden Rendezvous

The Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil joins in the "Garden of France" theme celebrated́ this year by "Les Nouvelles Renaissances" of the Centre Val de Loire Region thanks to the diversity of its gardens: historical, botanical, nurturing, cultural and artistic. Throughout the weekend of June 4 and 5 "Rendez-vous aux jardins" was punctuated by a variety of activities.

Selected excerpts: during a guided tour, Marie-Sol de La Tour d'Auvergne, creator of the gardens at Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil, introduced visitors to the rose garden, the carré en l'Ile, the chartreuses and the allée des poètes, while Michel Auvent shared his poems with us. The theme of gardens in the face of climate change was given pride of place. In collaboration with the CPIE Brenne-Berry (Centre Permanent d'Initiative pour l'Environnement), animator and ornithologist Sarah Guiheux guided children and their families through the gardens to awaken their awareness of biodiversity. Birdsong, insects found along the way, the nesting boxes in Poets' Alley and the insect castle all helped to raise awareness of this important issue, while having fun at the same time.

Opening of the exhibition by Daniel Hourdé, sculptor

Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil turns to contemporary art. In 2021, Julien Marinetti exhibited his "Totems" in the gardens. In 2022, Daniel Hourdé will be exhibiting in the gardens of Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil.

The exhibition opening took place on Friday, May 13, and the artist presented 7 of his works. Male forms in bronze, questioning the nature of man. A successful vernissage amidst the roses.

The desire of the owners is to create a permanent collection of outdoor sculptures. Last year, they chose Julien Marinetti's cat Bastet. This year, suspense... they've chosen a work by Daniel Hourdé, which you'll be able to discover next year.

Ainay celebrates the family

The Château d'Ainay-le-Viel always puts the family in the spotlight. On Sunday May 29, for its second edition, "Ainay fête la famille" welcomed young and old for a fun-filled afternoon.

Estelle(kid Evenementiel) was back for her treasure hunt. Animationstoutazimut organized several circus workshops, antique games and mechanical ponies. The Pace company was set up under the lime tree in the rose garden to tell us the story of "The True Bride". The children were in good company thanks to the "Pôle du cheval et de l'âne" (horse and donkey centre), which came with two donkeys to help them discover the art and art of looking after these friendly animals.

A program designed to ensure that all generations enjoy themselves, create memories and forge links. See you next year.

International open-air painting festival

From June 14 to 19, the 6th "Festival international de la peinture en plein air" tookplaceat the Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil.Organized by theAssociation Festival Cultures Croisées,the event brought together thirtyartistsfrom nine countries to celebrate the art of plein-air painting. Inspired by Impressionists such as Monet, Gauguin and Pissarro, the artists worked on one large-format canvas per day.

Despite the very high temperatures, the artists managed tocapturethe imposing silhouette of the château, and the diverse beauty of the gardens, chartreuse and rose garden. Participating artists enjoyed a guided tour of the "remarkable" gardensby Marie-Sol de la Tour d'Auvergne, who provided captivating insights to help the artists with their creations. The works created by the painters during the week were exhibited at the Musée des Arts et Traditions Populaires in the château grounds. Madame Sartin, the Mayor of Ainay-le-Vieil, took part in the ceremony to present the participants withtheir diplomas, accompanied by Madame de la Tour d'Auvergne, Madame Anna Filimonova, the festival's creator and president of the Association Festival Cultures Croisées, and the Association's vice-president, Monsieur Didier Martin.

This year's guest of honorwasUkrainian artist Andrii Kovalykwho gave a live masterclass on Instagram, from which a competition was launched. Results in July.

Portrait sessions were also held over the weekend, giving the public a chance to enjoy the artists'talents.

The weekend was even punctuated by a visit from the France 3 Val de Loire team, who reported on the festival. The event was a great success, with the sale of ten works created on site.

Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil, Festival international de peinture en plain air, 2022