In Montcaret village are two sites of interest: the Roman style church and the archaeological site based around the excavations of a Roman villa. The two sites are adjacent in the heart of the village.
The important villa in Montcaret was occupied from the 1st century to the 5th century. Although the main structure of the house has long since disappeared, you can still see the layout with the position of such rooms as the courtyard and baths. The surface area of the floor was very extensive and it was clearly the property of an important local dignitary.
However it is the villa floors that make it interesting because there are a large number of the original mosaics that can be seen following extensive archaeological excavations. These are considered so important that Montcaret Roman Villa is now listed as one of less than 100 National Monuments in France.
You can see small fragments of mosaics in various places here but there are two areas, the baths and the eating area, where the most important mosaics are found. Note in particular the mosaic in the baths, which incorporates pictures of fish and other marine animals. The mosaic in the eating area is larger and more complete than the others but shows various patterns rather than pictures, so is less interesting.
At the same site you can also visit a small museum which contains other artefacts found during the excavations.
The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.