5 troglodyte experiences in the Loire Valley, a sure-fire way to keep cool!

The village of Rochemenier, just 25 minutes from Angers, invites you to discover the underground world with its modernised dwellings, two old farms, museum and chapel. Take a trip back in time with the antique furniture, the tools used to work the fields and vines, and the old photos. You'll be able to immerse yourself in the rural life of the time in around twenty rooms spread over one hectare.

Located 10km from Saumur, Turquant is home to a five-kilometre-long signposted trail that takes in the galleries carved out of the rock and provides an insight into the troglodyte way of life. You'll learn all about an ancient recipe and speciality of the region: dehydrated "pommes tapées".

Also known as "fouaces", fouées are round loaves baked in a wood-fired oven. They were the traditional meal of cave dwellers. Hot from the oven, this bread is served with cheese, mogettes, mushrooms or rillettes. Several troglodyte restaurants offer this bread, including La Cave de Marson in Rou-Marson and Les Pieds Bleus in Gennes-Val-de-Loire, near Saumur.

Carved into the rock, the Bioparc de Doué-la-Fontaine is the one and only troglodyte zoo. More than 1,300 animals have found refuge in this little paradise: leopards, birds, panthers, rhinoceroses... As you wander through the galleries and tunnels, you'll discover different ecosystems. For the past 3 years, the carnivore crater has been home to African wildlife, including lions, cheetahs and meerkats.

Considered to be the most original château in the Loire Valley, the Château de Brézé near Saumur is unusual in that it houses an immense troglodyte network stretching over four kilometres and nine metres below ground. This buried, underground medieval heritage includes a bakery (whose bread oven is still in use), a wine-pressing room (testifying to its wine-making activity), as well as stables and a kitchen.

Head for the Saut-aux-Loups hillside, home to a number of 15th-century troglodytic dwellings that lead to a number of tunnels dug out of the tufa stone. These tunnels have been used to grow button mushrooms since the early 20th century. The Saut aux Loups mushroom farm, located in the pretty town of Montsoreau on the banks of the Loire, is home to an educational and scenographic trail to discover the mining past and its mushroom farm.