Un voyage à Amboise

Oh là là, I am a little behind in updating you on our latest fun in the Loire Valley. On Tuesday (the day after we returned from Paris), we headed off to Amboise to explore both 2 castles: Château d'Amboise and Château du Clos Luce. Both places did have a connection to Leonardo da Vinci. The chapel found at Château d'Amboise is where Leonardo da Vinci's body is supposedly buried. According to our French teacher (who is also an awesome tour guide for us), France and Italy have an agreement that says that they both have the body of da Vinci. No one truly knows where he is buried, but some speculate that he's still in France.... but others think his body may have been stolen and is now in Italy! It remains a mystery for all of us, but at least we can safely say that we saw the original tombstone/area of Leonardo da Vinci. Château d'Amboise and Clos Luce are actually connected by an underground passageway so da Vinci was able to travel between the two during his lifetime.

Château d'Amboise

 

The chapel of Saint-Hubert where Leonardo da Vinci is buried

 The tomb of Leonardo da Vinci

After looking around inside the chapel, we decided to go inside the château. It was build entirely of stone and literally looks like it is attached to the Earth on the side of the river. It was built upward and rises above the rest of the city; the view from the top is spectacular as you can see the entire town! 

This is the castle where King Charles VIII died after hitting his head on a door lintel. I must admit that some of the passageways are quite low in these castles, so I would believe that such could occur. We were also shown where those who committed felonies were hung. It was right above the Loire river - such a beautiful place to endure a horrid death!

 On top of Château d'Amboise

Clos Luce was a smaller estate just a short walk from the château.  Here, we got to see the chamber of Leonardo da Vinci, where he spent his time between 1516 and 1519. One section of the residence is dedicated his inventions. BMI worked with his blueprints to create small-scale models of his ideas. He was incredibly talented and cannot believe how creative he was! The château was, of course, decorated quite lovely with tapestries and other Renaissance decor.

The chamber of Leonardo da Vinci

 Windows inside Clos Luce 

Sculpture of Leonardo da Vinci in Clos Luce 

After visiting the two castles, we spent some time just exploring Amboise.  They had quite a variety of boutiques and stores - everything from organic food to Swarovski crystal to handmade jewelry with dried flowers. Of course, there was an Amorino across from the Château d'Amboise, so we stopped in for de la glace - I had a cup with caffé, cioccolato, nocciola and caramello. Très délicieux! 

It was a very successful first day back in the small towns. 

Store that sold SO MUCH Swarovski crystal