Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Clos-Luce

The Chateau du Clos-Luce, located near the Amboise Chateau in Amboise, France, was the last home of Leonardo da Vinci. Although da Vinci was born in Florence, Italy in 1452, he rejoined the Court of the King of France in Amboise after the death of his Italian protector, Guiliano de Medici, in 1516. He died there in 1519.

Leonardo da Vinci is most famous as an artist, but the man was so much more. To learn about his varied disciplines, including anatomy, philosophy, science and technology, architecture, sculpture, town planning, and mathematics, go here.

Clos-Luce had a long history even before da Vinci. The original building was built between 1107-1115, but the watchtower is all that remains. The later castle became a royal estate in 1490 under Charles VIII and housed many artisans, of whom the most famous is da Vinci.

For a virtual tour of the chateau, under Our Visit, click on Tour Route on the left, then click on each of the three areas – The Chateau, Landscape Tour, and The Hall – for information and photos of what we will see.

Play the video below to view the inside and gardens of Clos-Luce by someone who visited there recently. If a video box does not appear below, go to the YouTube video direct here.

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