Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­

Monet lived in his house at Giverny for 43 years from 1883 and the gardens are seen by many as a work of art in their own right.

With around 700,000 visitors a year they are the second most popular tourist site in Normandy after the Mont-Saint-Michel and for the past six years they were cared for by British gardener James Priest who recently retired.

Just 70km from Paris, the Eure gardens are a homage to Monet and they were recreated by philanthropist Gérald Van der Kemp and head gardener Gilbert Vahé exactly as the artist would have known them with their weeping willows, waterlily pond and the wisteria-framed Japanese footbridge.