Clos Luce

Francis I invited Leonardo to France in 1516 and gave him this brick and tuffeau manor five hundred metres from the royal chateau, with a pension and the title of first painter, engineer and architect to the king. Leonardo arrived over the Alps by mule with the Mona Lisa and two other paintings among his baggage and lived here until his death in 1519. His bedroom and study are shown, and the basement holds around forty machines built by IBM engineers in the 1960s from his drawings. The park continues the theme with large-scale working models, translucent canvases of his paintings and a walk along the water.

What you actually see

• Leonardo's bedroom and study - the rooms of his last three years.
• The machine basement - about forty models built from his drawings.
• The park models - large working reconstructions in the grounds.
• The painting canvases - translucent reproductions hung outdoors.

When to go

April to October; the house opens year-round except part of January. It is crowded from late morning through summer, so early entry is worth the effort.

Honest expectations

There are no original Leonardo works here; the machines are twentieth-century reconstructions. The house is small and busy, with queues through the narrow rooms in season. The park carries much of the visit.

Nearby

The Chateau d'Amboise is a short uphill walk; Chenonceau lies southeast.