the chateau series: clos luce

Posted on June 15, 2015

So what is so important about this chateau??

Chateau du Clos Luce

Leonardo da Vinci lived in this chateau for the last three years of his life, invited to live in France by King Francois I, in 1516.

The man was a genius – well beyond his time; painting, inventing, engineer and architect! And King Francois I thought so too.

We were a little in awe to think that we walked through the same hallways, up the same stairwells as Leonardo da Vinci…. THE Leonardo da Vinci. We even stood in the very room that he slept in.

His bedroom overlooked the garden, apparently he LOVED the view out of the castle.

The rest of the living quarters are much like the others we have shared in the series; kitchen, salon, bedrooms.

But this chateau was unique, in it’s own way!

The basement was the model room for all of Leonardo da Vinci’s inventions. These 3D animations were  created based on his designs and drawings in his notebooks.

We spent ages in this section completely enthralled by his talented mind and imagination.

Truly a man beyond his era!

(A) Military Armoured Tank

(B) Multiple Direction Machine Gun

(C) Printing Press

(D) The First Car

(E) The Paddle Boat

Then it was into the backyard, where there are life-sized models of his inventions, there are his works and his words – all on display for visitors to wonder around and discover for themselves. It’s a hands-on exhibit with 20 giant working models.

There are 40 translucent canvases that are 3-4 metres high.

His idea of a helicopter….

This place is fascinating in a completely different way to the other chateaux. Nothing quite like it…

Chateau du Clos Luce is approximately 26km east of Tours.  

Do you have a favourite artist?

We don’t have one but we certainly found one that we admire immensely after this visit. Leave us a comment.