CHATEAU De VILLETTE
Sophie and Langdon drove their little smart car out to Sir Leigh Teabing's residence: Ch�teau de Villette. This is a real place, 35 minutes northwest of Paris. Coincidentally, I met Olivia Hsu Decker � the owner of the 18-bedroom, 21-bath, 3-kitchen estate -- in Fiji a couple of years ago. We have mutual friends, so I received an inside tour of the 185-acre property, including Teabing's secret office and the couch where the keystone was hidden. Twenty chapters of the book take place at the Chateau, and the crew filmed there for five days last summer. The Ch�teau was built in 1668 by Jules Hardouin Mansart. Like everyone else, Ms. Decker is capitalizing on the book. She offers DVC packages with tours and lodgings for 3,900 � to 4,300 � ($4,700 - $5,100) per person (excluding airfare). For something not so extravagant, try the Chateau's DVC gourmet tours; they include a meal from a renowned chef. Lunch from 11 a.m. � 3 p.m. (140 � per person = $168); the dinner tour runs from 5 to 9:30 p.m. (180 � = $216). Ch�teau de Villette, Villette@TheDaVinciCodeChateau.com. For more click HERE.