The Château d'Ambleville is a French Renaissance style château located within the regional park of Vexin. The gardens are classified among the Notable Gardens of France.
The château was built in the 16th century for the seigneurs of Ambleville and Villarceaux by architect Jean Grappin, on the foundations of a medieval castle on the banks of the Aubette. In the 17th century, the house was acquired by the Duke of Villeroy, Nicolas V, the Ambassador of France to Medicis. He created a garden in the Florentine style. The house was purchased in 1893 by Charles Sedelmeyer (1837–1925), who restored the chateau and added a theater and Venetian chimneys and balconies. In 1928 the new owner, the Marquise de Villefranche, remade the gardens after those of the recently restored gardens of the Villa Gamberaia in Florence. Today they offer one of the best examples of an Italian Renaissance garden in France.
References:The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.