Once past the courtyard of the Château du Bas of Villarceaux, in the Val d’Oise, an original climb begins towards the Château du Haut. This is a 530-metre long grassy espaliered garden, punctuated by two flights of stone steps. In the 18th century, it was called a vertugadin by analogy with the folds and bulges of the crinoline dresses of past centuries. Very fashionable in French gardens, the vertugadin of Villarceaux was inspired by Florentine gardens. The walk is punctuated by 17th and 18th century statues from the Altieri Palace in Rome and the Villa d’Este in Como.