The town of Amboise is one of the most popular destinations in the Loire Valley. It also has one of the best known châteaux. After spending a few minutes in the Saint-Nicolas church in Blois on July 5, I drove on downriver to Amboise and stopped to take a few photos. Here's the result: a two-minute slideshow.
The château d'Amboise is actually much smaller today than it was back in the 16th century, during the French Renaissance. In the late 15th century, the king Charles VIII turned what had been a fortified castle into a magnificent and comfortable residence, bringing in architects, artists, and gardeners from Italy to build and decorate new wings added to the original castle.
Later, the kings Louis XII and François Ier continued that work — François brought the elderly Leonardo da Vinci to Amboise, for example, and he died there. At the beginning of the 17th century, under king Louis XIII, the château at Amboise was turned into a royal prison and remained a prison during the 75-year reign of Louis XIV, the Sun King. Finally, many of the buildings added to the château by earlier kings were demolished in the early 19th century, during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte. Still, what's left looks pretty impressive, seen from the island in the Loire where I was standing when I took these photos.
Hi Ken
ReplyDeleteI'm delighted to see these photos. My husband and I are spending 3 weeks in September staying in a small gite in the Indre Loire region. We are hoping to visit many chateaux. My husband is an amateur painter and loves the work of Leonardo da vinci. we are planning to visit amboise. We have a small but heavy dog and dogs are allowed in the chateau if they are carried. Might have to get a doggie pram........😉
This is a really good collection of photos of Amboise. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAs you know, I have a forever memory of seeing Amboise at sunset in 1969. I really like your little slide shows.
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