Must-see sites in the Loire valley

Next stage of our quick tour of the castles in the Loire valley. We will now present the Château de Brézé, the Château de Clos Lucé and the Château d'Azay-le-Rideau.

Château de Brézé: The château de Brézé was constructed between the XI and XIX centuries, and provides visitors with the opportunity to discover an elegant home which is still lived in, not to mention an extraordinary underground site! A little known rupestral setting of the Loire castles, unique in the world, is hidden under the castle!

Château du Clos Lucé: The Château du Clos Lucé is a classified monument and has been the property of the Saint Bris family since 1854. Large-scale indoor and outdoor restoration works were launched in the 1960s to return the castle to its Renaissance appearance: the kitchen, the large Meeting room, the bedroom, the basement rooms where fourty machines designed by Leonardo de Vinci are on display, not forgetting the chapel and its frescos, have all found their former charm.

The last home of Leonardo de Vinci

In 1516, Francis I invited Leonardo de Vinci, following the advice of his sister, Margaret of Navarre.

"You will be free to dream, think and work here": the king of France became the host of the Italian genius, who crossed the Alps on a donkey, carrying his three most remarkable works with him: the Mona Lisa, the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist, which he completed here at the Château du Clos Lucé.

Leonardo de Vinci was appointed "first painter, engineer and architect of the king" and received 100 golden écus per year. He was looked upon fondly by Francis I, who called him "my father" as well as by his sister Margaret and the entire French court, until his death.

Château d'Azay-le-Rideau: Château d'Azay-le-Rideau is located in the Centre-Val de Loire region. The building, as it currently stands, was constructed under the reign of Francis I on an island in the middle of the Indre river, by a rich financial backer, Gilles Berthelot, who aimed to reconcile innovation from Italy with French construction art. The castle appears to bathe in the waters of the Indre river, with the reflection of its façades surrounded by a splendid green setting. The Château d’Azay-le-Rideau is classified as a historical monument and can boast all the refinery of a castle from the first French Renaissance.