Michel de Montaigne’s tower in the Dordogne is where he withdrew to read, think, and write his Essays. In this episode, I visit the Château de Montaigne with guide Pauline Gonzalez and walk through his library, his bedroom, and the rooms that shaped his thinking.
Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. Montaigne was no academic, and he read the Stoics as a man looking for a way to live, which is why his tower belongs on this show.
Pauline shows me the beams of his library, where he had quotes from the ancient writers painted so he could meet them again while he walked. We talk about his strict Latin upbringing, his deep friendship with Étienne de La Boétie, the family wine business, and why he chose to write in French. Montaigne took nature and his own life as his material, and he asked what it means to be human rather than what a philosopher should say. His Essays still read like a conversation with a friend, which makes them one of the best ways into philosophy as a practice for ordinary life.
If you have ever wondered what a life of reading and reflection looks like in practice, this visit gives you a way in. Step inside Montaigne’s tower with me, and tell me in the comments which room stays with you. Come back to the Via Stoica Podcast for more conversations on living philosophy.
Visit the Château de Montaigne
24230 Saint-Michel-de-Montaigne, Dordogne, France, about 20 minutes from Saint-Émilion and 1 hour from Bordeaux. Open every day, with visits to the tower and the 19th-century château. Opening hours, prices and tickets: https://chateau-montaigne.com/en
Guide: Pauline Gonzalez, Guide at Château de MontaigneDrone footage: Déclic et Décolle (@declic_et_decolle_photo)
Support the showviastoica.comYouTube: @viastoicaChâteau de Montaigne: https://chateau-montaigne.com/enProduced by: Badmic.com
