Beautiful castles and Folies from the 18th century are located in Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
At the gates from Montpellier, from the end of the 17th century, noblemen started to build houses outside the city so that to do "Folies" (french way to say spend a lot of money).
Henri and Brigitte de Colbert take loving care of their château, Château de Flaugergues, which has been in the family for over 300 years.
The grounds include French-style gardens, an orangery, a park in the “English style”, a "five senses” garden, and a bamboo plantation.
In the 18th century, these summer residences of the Montpellier aristocracy would have been in a rural environment.
Today, in this haven of peace disturbed only by bird song, it is hard to believe that the oldest “Folly” in Montpellier is in the heart of the city, near the Millénaire district.
The elegance of the interior is a perfect setting for the numerous collections, unusual objects and superb Flemish tapestries. The wrought iron sculptures and balconies transport the visitor back to the golden age of the Montpellier nobility.
But Flaugergues is also one of the last wine properties in the city, whose wines are well respected, and which has been a wine tourism pioneer, organizing themed tours and tastings at the château so as to offer a complete wine experience.
A new winery has recently been added to the 25-hectare vineyard, which is part of the Vinofolia project, a body which awards “remarkable” status to vineyards in the same way as certain châteaux are recognized as having “remarkable gardens”. The Folia restaurant, in the adjoining buildings, completes Flaugergues’ wine tourism experience, with a superb gastronomic menu.
Children run through the gardens, while ladies take tea in the drawing-room, and Monsieur is busy at his desk writing letters. This Folly, silhouetted among the pines, plunges us into the heart of the Montpellier’s history through the life of the Boussairolles, one of the city’s grandest families.
From Fulcran Limozin, secretary to the King who bought the estate in 1706, to the Viscount of Saporta, the ninth generation and present owner, the château de la Mogère’s history has seen many upheavals over the centuries.
The interior, decorated with family portraits, gypsum mouldings and paintings traverse the seasons and projects us into the past.
The Viscount strolls through the rooms, with their Louis XV or Empire period furnishings and escorts his guests through the gardens, a mixture of the English and French styles, where a sequence of statues, aqueducts and a superb wall fountain (a classified as a Historic Monument), follow one another in the shadow of the pines.
Château de la Mogère
From gardens to vines
This 18th century building is one of the most beautiful Follies in Montpellier.It has combined wine and fine architecture since its construction in 1632, on the site of an old farm.
Following a long winegrowing tradition, the property’s vines are in the PDO of Saint Georges d'Orques.
At the entrance, the visitor is immediately struck by the château’s elegance. Two powerful Atlases adorn the façade, entwined with vine vines to symbolize the property's wine production
On the pediment above the door, a group of three cherubs surrounded by roses symbolize love, festivities, and Bacchanalia.
Let the wine always fl ow and the revelry continue... For revelry is still very much the order of the day here: the property regularly organizes festive evenings for wine lovers.
The cherry on the cake: Château de l’Engarran has its own wine museum, with a display of the various equipment that have been used since 1885. The park is like a fabulous poem, with an ornate French-style garden, designed around two round ponds decorated with statues, and a beautiful wall fountain.
The tourist office welcomes you from
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday,
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday and public holiday
Our tourist information offices
Lattes : +33 (0)7 72 43 65 08
Villeneuve-lès- Maguelone : 07 87 25 67 45
Castries : +33 (0)4 67 52 04 24
