Troglodyte Village of Trôo
Carved into a steep tuffeau hillside above the Loir river (not the Loire — this is a different, quieter valley), Trôo is a living village of stacked cave dwellings where people still hang laundry outside their rock-cut front doors. It is the most atmospheric and least visited of all the Loire region's troglodyte settlements.
Exploring the Cliff Village
The village climbs the hillside in three tiers connected by narrow footpaths and stone staircases; the upper level is crowned by a Romanesque collegiate church with a panoramic terrace overlooking the Loir floodplain, while the lower caves include a 12th-century talking well whose acoustics carry whispers 45 metres up to the surface.
Many of the cave homes are privately owned and occupied year-round — residents have dug extra rooms deeper into the rock over generations, creating labyrinthine floor plans that extend far beyond the modest façades visible from the path.
The Surrounding Loir Valley
Unlike the heavily touristed main Loire, the Loir valley retains a genuinely sleepy, locals-only feel: the single-track road along the river passes through villages of white stone houses draped in wisteria, with the occasional cave-cellar sign advertising Coteaux du Loir wine tastings.
The Grotte Pétrifiante just outside Trôo offers guided tours of a cave where calcium-rich spring water slowly petrifies objects placed beneath it — kitsch but oddly fascinating, and a hit with children.
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