Page 304 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

EXPERIENCE The Loire Valley

Bold and bright, the
colourful interiors of
Château de Montrésor

u histori cally important than manor house of Clos-Lucé
between 1516 and 1519.
the Château d’Amboise. Both
Montrésor Louis XI and Charles VIII lived The Clos-Lucé contains a
here; François I was brought museum exhibiting models
! C4 ⌂ Indre-et-Loire n 43
grande rue; 02 47 92 70 71 up here, as were Catherine of Leonardo’s inventions, con-
de’ Medici’s ten child ren. The structed from his sketches.
Classed as one of the most château was also the setting
beautiful villages in France, for the Amboise Conspiracy Château d’Amboise
Montrésor does not disappoint. of 1560, an ill-fated Huguenot ' " # 9am–7pm daily
Set on the River Indrois, it plot against François II. Visitors ¢ 1 Jan, 25 Dec ∑ chateau-
became a Polish enclave in are shown the metal lacework amboise.com
the 1840s. In 1849 a Polish balcony that once served as
nobleman, Count Branicki, a gibbet for 12 of the 1,200 Clos-Lucé
bought the 15th-century conspirators who were put " ⌂ 2 rue du Clos-Lucé
château, built on the site of to death. The Tour des Minimes, # 9am–7pm daily ¢ 1 Jan,
11th-century fortifications. the château’s original entrance, 25 Dec ∑ vinci-closluce.com
One of the most charming is famous for its huge spiral
castles in the Loire Valley, ramp, which horsemen would
Château de Montrésor has ride up to deliver provisions. 19
remained in the family ever On the ramparts is the
since, largely unchanged since beauti fully restored Gothic Loches
the mid-19th century. Chapelle St-Hubert, best ! D4 ⌂ Indre-et-Loire £ @
known for being Leonardo
Château de Montrésor da Vinci’s burial place. Under n Place de la Marne; www.
loches-valdeloire.com
' " # 10am–6pm daily the patronage of François I,
∑ chateaudemontresor.fr the artist lived in the nearby This picturesque, untouched
medieval town is removed
from the château trail in the
i Did You Know? Indre Valley. It is a tranquil
refuge of late-Gothic
Amboise gateways and sculpted
Charles VIII met an façades. Its keep boasts the
! D3 ⌂ Indre-et-Loire £ @ early death at the age of deepest dungeons in the
n Quai du Général de 28 in 1498 after hitting
Gaulle; www.amboise- his head on a door lintel Loire. The Logis Royal de
valdeloire.com in the Château Loches is asso ciated with
Charles VII and his mistress
Once the home of France’s d’Amboise. Agnès Sorel. It is also where
royals, few buildings are more Joan of Arc pleaded with
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