It was at the invitation of François I that Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), aged 64, took up residence in this grand manor house (vinci-closluce.com; adult/child €19.50/14.50), built in 1471. An admirer of the Italian Renaissance, the French monarch named Da Vinci "first painter, engineer and king’s architect," and the Italian spent his time here sketching, tinkering and dreaming up ingenious contraptions.
Fascinating scale models of 40 of Da Vinci's inventions are on display inside the house and around the lovely 7-hectare gardens. At the bottom of the gardens, in the immersive Galeries Léonard de Vinci, the master's greatest works are projected onto the walls; displays upstairs spotlight his mind-blowingly creative ideas in fields such as urban planning and civil and military architecture. Light meals (eg crêpes) are available on-site, or you can picnic at the tables near the entrance or on the grass.
You can also visit furnished ateliers that look as they did when Da Vinci worked and painted here and the bedroom where he drew his last breath, on 2 May 1519. Brochures are available in 16 languages. Crowds can get intense on holiday weekends and in summer; mornings (around 9am or 10am) tend to be quieter. To avoid standing in line, buy your tickets beforehand online or at the Amboise tourist office. Last entry is one hour before closing.
As you walk up to Le Clos Lucé, keep an eye out for the habitats troglodytiques (cave houses, many now uninhabited) carved into the rock face overlooking rue Victor Hugo.
