Château d'Amboise

The Chateau is accessible on foot by going over a long ramp from the pedestrian streets in Amboise. These narrow and lively streets, like the one under the clock tower, protect visitors from the noisy commotion of automobile traffic, which one cannot avoid on the boulevard that borders the Loire. But this is not the way we chose to get a view of the chateau.
Built on a promontory overlooking the Loire River to control a strategic ford replaced in the middle ages by a bridge, the château began its life in the eleventh century, when the notorious Fulk Nerra, Count of Anjou, rebuilt the stronghold in stone. Expanded and improved over time, in the mid 1400’s, it was seized (4 September 1434) by King Charles VII, after its owner, Louis d'Amboise was convicted of plotting against Louis XI and executed in 1431. Once in royal hands, the château became a favourite of French kings; Charles decided to rebuild it extensively, beginning in 1492 at first in the French late Gothic Flamboyant style and then after 1495 employing two Italian mason poopay builders, Domenico da Cortona and Fra Giocondo, who provided at Amboise some of the first Renaissance decorative motifs seen in French architecture. The names of three French builders are preserved in the documents: Colin Biart, Guillaume Senault and Louis Armangeart.
This castle provides an invitating opportunity to view an exceptional collection of Gothic and Renaissance furnishings. After visiting the royal lodgings, be sure to take a pleasant stroll through the beautiful panoramic gardens planted with Mediterranean plants. In the Saint-Hubert chapel, the tomb of Leonardo da Vinci has recently been the object of a tastefull restoration.