And let me tell you something wonderful of another dear town of mine. I have been coming here for so many years lost count, we get our local country provisions here, wine of course for our house denomination Amboise-Touraine. However, there is a whole lot more to see here and even more than what I have written before on Amboise.
Therefore, let me tell you a bit more on the grand place, the Château du Clos Lucé , last home of Leonardo da Vinci in Amboise!
You come over the museum house of Leonardo da Vinci at Clos Lucé, its just a walk away about 500 meters away from the castle. The Chateau du Clos Lucé-Parc Leonardo da Vinci is where he lived his last 3 years of his life and worked on his passions furiously, you can see his bedroom, kitchen, work cabinet, and beautiful rooms in brick and stone as well as a chapel. You will discover in its park about 40 wonderful machine inventions that he created such as the first airplane, submarine, auto, helicopter, tank, parachutes, etc. All vividly display in the house and throughout the park. The visit starts at the gallery climbing the watchtower to remind you this is medieval architecture, and you will see the arms of France, go into the bedroom with a view of the castle, fireplace, aubusson tapestries, and a glass cabinet with many items of historical value such as the Christ in pearl and ivory said to belong to Mary Queen of Scots. Follow with his study room where his manuscripts were done from 1517 with many wonderful displays of history ; the Anne de Bretagne (Anne of Brittany) Oratory or chapel first built by king Charles VIII for his wife.The lounges from the 18C ,they were probably used by Leonardo da Vinci for his portraits of John the Baptist, it contains gorgeous furniture, at the end a small lounge with porcelain items, and continuing to the renaissance reception room where he welcome king François I and many others notables, all furnishing are from the renaissance period. You enter the kitchen with a monumental fireplace and furniture from the 16C. Then you go down the stairs to Leonardo da Vinci’s inventions or machines all displayed using IBM technology now as models.
You go outside to the park culturel with trails of exhibits in the open, machines hanging from trees as models of his inventions such as the moving bridge or pont mobile, the windmills or moulins, and the amphibious men or pont de briques. Lovely park indeed worth it a lot. You have a boutique store for souvenirs, and restaurants such as the La Terrace and the la Table du Moulin,and the resto du Prieuré, we try the Table du Moulin and is great.
The Château du Clos Lucé, formerly called the Manoir du Cloux, is a residence located in the heart of the Loire Valley, in Amboise. Originally designed in 1471 as an old fiefdom under the Château d’Amboise, it passed through several hands before being bought by Charles VIII and becoming a summer residence for the kings of France. It kept this function until 1516 when François I made it available to Leonardo da Vinci, who lived there for three years, until his death on May 2, 1519
In 1516, aged 64, Leonardo da Vinci leaves Rome, crosses Italy, bringing in his leather bags all his sketchbooks and three famous paintings: Mona Lisa, The Virgin, Child Jesus and Saint Anne and Saint John the Bapstist. These three paintings are now kept at the Louvre Museum. He names him “First Painter, Engineer and Architect of the King.
The Chateau du Clos Lucé is located in the heart of a 7-hectare park crossed by the Amasse stream , a small tributary of the Loire. The façade, made of pink bricks and white stones, has hardly been modified since the Renaissance.
Forty models produced by IBM based on Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings are displayed in four rooms in the basement. 3D animations are also presented in the model rooms. We find in the park a dovecote built in the 15C. The dovecote housed a thousand niches for pigeons. A cultural trail was set up in the park of the Château du Clos Lucé in 2003 with sound terminals and 20 giant machines inspired by his sketches. A garden presents Leonardo’s works on plants, as well as a two-level bridge, based on a sketch by the artist.
The Château du Clos Lucé is today a place of interpretation, knowledge and synthesis which aims to allow the widest audience to discover the universe of Leonardo da Vinci. It has been owned by the Saint Bris family since 1855.
Some webpages to help you plan your trip here which is a must
Official Chateau du Clos Luce in English
Official tourist office of Amboise Val de Loire on the Chateau du Clos Luce
Official tourist office Amboise Val de Loire on the work of Leonardo Da Vinci
There you go folks a masterwork place to make it a must to visit in Amboise, the Château du Clos Lucé is wonderful, and the park displays are as unique as what is inside. Enjoy it as we did
And remember, happy travel, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 