Tourism in Normandy: Champ de Bataille

Thirty years. That's how long it took decorator Jacques Garcia to bring the Domaine du Champ de Bataille back to life from its ashes; a childhood dream that has now come true for this architect, who is best known for his legendary and spectacular creations at the Hôtel Costes in Paris and La Mamounia in Marrakech.

Purchased in 1992, Jacques Garcia restored this 17th century residence and created incredible gardens dotted with factories that spread over no less than 45 hectares. When you think that only a sketch by André Le Nôtre depicting the boxwood laces served as the basis for the designs of these gardens, you realise the imaginative genius of their creator who, 30 years later, transformed a forest into one of the largest private parks in Europe.