The story begins in Paris in 1564, when Catherine de Medicis, tired of living in the Louvre, asked Philibert de l'Orme to build her a palace on the site of a tile.

The Palace was subject of constant changes, including adding various parts, which gave the whole a somewhat incongruous, especially on roofs.

                                                   Original view at the time of Henri IV, 3D pictures from the very interesting book  "Le Palais des Tuileries"

                                                   by Guillaume Fonkenell, Editions Honoré Clair, partnership with la Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine.

in this drawing of the Tuileries Palace, we have embedded a photo of the castle of Punta, which allows to assess the similarities.

Exterior garden, seen from Rue de Rivoli.
 

View of the central pavilion of the Tuileries garden side

 Three centuries during the Palais des Tuileries knew the royal annals, the revolutionary agitation, then the arrival of the Empire, until the day of May 23, 1871 when the insurgents of La Commune, retreating before the advance of Versailles troups, lit a fire to destroy this symbol of absolutism.
 

Ten years alo the covers next offer the spectacle of windows opening onto the vacuum left by the collapse of roofs and floors.

               Le pavillon de l'Horloge                                             Interior of the palace after fire

Picture on same buildings, but after the fire

                         The Tuileries on Rivoli street                             The central pavilion                                        

View of Central pavillion burnt, on Tuileries garden.

When in 1882 it was decided to completely destroy the palace, Jérôme Pozzo di Borgo and his son Charles, nephew of the Russian ambassador, Charles-André, great enemy of Napoleon 1st, bought a large part of stones to build a castle on the family estate located in Alata, near Ajaccio.

The castle during constructon

(picture from TV FR3 "Des racines et des ailes")

Eighty years later,  August 7, 1978, a fire bush, in which a young firefighter died, Laurent Amico, spread to the castel's roof, causing serious damage.

 Firefighters extinguished roof's fire.                            Stele erected in memory of Laurent AMICO

18 years during the Château de La Punta was poorly protected by a temporary iron roof and offered the sad spectacle of desolation.

You can watch here a very interesting report from " FR3 Corse", the castel after fire:

http://www.ina.fr/archivespourtous/index.php?vue=notice&id_notice=AJ00000006588

In 1991 the General Council of Southern Corsica bought the Chateau de la Punta and its 40 hectares park from  Pozzo di Borgo family.

The repair of the roof was completed in 1996, bringing the castle safe from further damage due to rain.

But this first step is for nothing if prompt measures are not taken to repair the disorder appeared in the masonry : limestone get poor resistance to salt air and attack is very serious, the iron clamps installed in lieu of those of lead from the Renaissance to bind the stone blocks are corroded and the whole cohesion is sometimes compromised.

The story continues, there is still much to do ...     VISIT IN PICTURES