Chateau d'Amboise

Amboise was the first Loire chateau rebuilt in Italian taste, after Charles VIII came back from Italy in 1495 with craftsmen and ideas; he died here in 1498 after striking his head on a door lintel. Two great round towers contain spiral ramps wide and shallow enough for horses and carriages to be ridden up from the riverside to the terrace, which is the building's cleverest feature. Only about a fifth of the original chateau survives; the rest was demolished after the Revolution. Leonardo da Vinci, who spent his last years nearby, is buried in the chapel of Saint-Hubert on the terrace.

History

A Gallic oppidum stood on the spur above the Loire before the castle, and in the late 9th century Ingelger, later count of Anjou, married Adelais of Amboise, whose family held it; it passed to his son Fulk the Red and in 987 to Fulk Nerra, who defended it against Odo I, Count of Blois. On 4 September 1434 Charles VII seized it from Louis d'Amboise, and in royal hands it became a favourite residence of the kings from Louis XI to Francis I. Charles VIII began rebuilding it in 1492 in the late Gothic style and, after his Italian campaign of 1494-1495, brought Italian builders such as Domenico da Cortona and Fra Giocondo and the garden designer Pacello da Mercogliano, making it the first Italianate palace in France; he died here in 1498 after hitting his head on a door lintel. The château declined from the second half of the 16th century and most of its buildings were later demolished, and it has been a monument historique since 1840 (Wikipedia, Château d'Amboise).

What you'll find

• The horse ramps - spiral carriage ramps inside the round towers.
• The chapel of Saint-Hubert - the small Gothic chapel holding Leonardo's grave.
• The terrace - a wide platform with long views over the Loire and roofs.
• The furnished rooms - the surviving royal apartments above the river.

When to go

April to October; the chateau opens year-round with shorter winter hours. Summer evenings bring a historical sound and light show staged by local volunteers.

Good to know

Only a fraction of the original building survives, so the interior is smaller than the exterior suggests. Leonardo's remains were disturbed after the Revolution and the identification of the grave is traditional rather than certain.

Nearby

Clos Luce is a short walk uphill; Chenonceau lies southeast.

Key facts