Formerly encircled by walls, earning it the title of "fortified town", the steep roofs and narrow lanes of historic Chinon huddle around the Vienne embankment and the castle. The district is peppered with medieval houses: half-timbered with carved corbelling, stone gables flanked by turrets. Take a stroll down Rue Haute St-Maurice and continue as far as Grand Carroi, the centre of the town in the Middle Ages, admiring the picturesque streets on the way.