VISIT AMBOISE, LOIRE VALLEY

When Charles VIII and Anne de Bretagne settled in Amboise, it was still a medieval fortress, built on a plateau, overlooking the Loire. Charles VIII undertook major works there to transform Amboise into a royal residence at the same time when he was campaigning in Italy. The war led him to Naples and during his period in Naples, the King of France discovered the Italian renaissance.

Wishing to adopt this new style discovered in Italy, Charles VIII and Anne of Brittany brought the Loire Valley and the entire kingdom into the French Renaissance, a combination between the decorative profusion of Flamboyant Gothic and the more marked symmetries style of the Renaissance.
Their dream is to transform Amboise into a palace with a new taste, into a prestigious and comfortable place.

Amboise becomes during the Renaissance, an imposing, refined royal residence, the place to be seen. After the Louvre, it is the castle which has seen the greatest number of kings, from Charles VII to Louis XIV. Charles VII, Charles VIII, Francois 1st, Louis II, all have passed through Amboise and left behind them, astonishing treasures, especially through furniture. Some, dating from the 15th century, offer something to immerse yourself in the Kings’ everyday life.

The royal residence has seen the Charles VIII wing appears, but nothing symbolizes the modernity of Amboise better than its ingenious Tour des Minimes. This cavalier tower is one of the finest examples of innovation from the end of the 15th century. We think it is a defense tower but it is an illusion because it is a gateway. It is in reality a ramp of 5 loops which allowed the horses to pass from the level of the city to the level of the castle terraces.

A famous character also marked Amboise: Leonardo da Vinci. From the Château d’Amboise, we can reach the Clos Lucé which is the Leonardo da Vinci’s castle, where some of his inventions and his pictorial works are exhibited. This remarkable genius succumbed to the charm of Amboise to the point of wanting to rest a few meters from the castle, in the Saint-Hubert chapel which is in theory the artist’s last home.

The reign of Charles VIII marked a profound revival of lifestyles. Of course, this craze for Amboise did not last forever and in the 16th century, royal stays became rare and the castle was then used as a prison. A multitude of inscriptions in all languages are visible on the walls, mainly in the Tour des Minimes.

After Amboise, Blois castle will have the honor of the King of France. Louis XII succeeds Charles VIII and takes Anne of Brittany for wife. Having grown up in Blois, the castle of Blois becomes his main residence and the reconstruction of the castle undertakes.