Twenty kilometres upstream of Tours, AMBOISE is a prim little town on the Loire River trading on long-gone splendours, notably its impressive but from what Jerome told us, disappointingly empty Château. Rising above the Loire River are the remains of the Château once five times its present size, but much reduced by wars and lack of finance.
We only drove by the Castle since Jerome didn't think it was worthy of a longer visit and we could only choose two and Chenonceau and Chambord were MUCH higher on the list.
One other thing ...Following his campaigns in Lombardy, François I decided that the best way to bring back the ideas of the Italian Renaissance was to import one of the finest exponents of the new arts. In 1516, Leonardo da Vinci ventured across the Alps in response to the royal invitation, carrying with him the Mona Lisa among other paintings. For three years before his death in 1519, he made his home at the Clos-Lucé which is behind the castle. Leonardo seems to have enjoyed a semi-retirement at Amboise, devoting himself to inventions of varying brilliance and impracticability, and enjoying conversations with his royal patron. The house – an attractive brick mansion with Italianate details added by Charles VIII – is now a museum to Leonardo. A very few pics since we didn't visit either the castle or the museum.
Life is good ... enjoy
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DaVinci's House and now a museum
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