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Chateau d'Amboise – The Chateau d'Amboise, another
royal residence, was much bigger than the buildings you'll see today. In
the 15th and 16th century, the chateau, lavishly filled with furniture and
artworks, was the scene of luxurious balls and festivities. But by the 19th
century, the chateau was expensive to maintain and large parts of it were
taken down. Leonardo da Vinci was buried in the Chapel of Saint
Hubert, next to the chateau. |
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Tip: In the summer months, plan to see the "sound
and light" show at the chateau, produced by the people of Amboise
– one and a half hours, with historical scenes, spectacular lighting
effects and fireworks. For more information and reservations, click
here. |
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Clos Luce Manor – Here's where
Leonardo lived for the last three years of this life, at the invitation
of Francois I. At Amboise, despite ill-health, da Vinci continued to work
on his machines and drawings. The manor is now a museum, where you can
visit period rooms, including Leonardo's bedroom, and see exhibits of
exact models of Leonardo da Vinci's inventions from his drawings – cannons, flying machine, armored
vehicle, prototype helicopter, bridges. |
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Parc des Mini-Chateaux (Parc Alize) – This park has miniature versions of 41 chateaux. See scale versions of Chenonceau
and other castles of the Loire, complete with petite figures, water wheels
and windmills, tiny trains running through the miniature countryside. |
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Small children will also like the Parc de le
Fou de l'Ane, a park filled with 12 different kinds of donkeys, a petting
zoo and rides in a donkey cart around the park. |
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Chanteloup Pagoda (south of Amboise) – The chateau of Chanteloup is long gone, but an 18th century Chinese pagoda
and lush green park remains. Climb up the 44 meter high Pagoda to get
a panoramic view of the Loire region. |
