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.

History

The manor, long called the Manoir du Cloux, was built on Gallo-Roman foundations around an octagonal stair tower, in pink brick and white stone, and its lands belonged to the Château d'Amboise, 500 metres away and linked by an underground passage. Étienne Le Loup, counsellor to Louis XI, restored it, and on 2 July 1490 Charles VIII bought it for 3500 gold écus, made it more comfortable and built a chapel for Anne of Brittany; it served as a summer house for the royal family for 200 years, and Louise of Savoy brought up her children here, among them the future Francis I. In 1516 Francis invited Leonardo da Vinci, aged 64, who came from Rome with his pupils Francesco Melzi and Salaì and three of his paintings, among them the Mona Lisa; named first painter, engineer and architect of the king, with a pension of 700 gold écus, he lived here until his death on 2 May 1519 (Wikipedia, Clos Lucé).

What you'll find

• 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.

Before you go

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.

Key facts