The best of Amboise
Written: Jul 20 '00 (Updated Oct 17 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: great experience
Cons: lots of tourists
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| Mynameismir's Full Review: Loire Valley |
Review Topic: Sights & Attractions
This epinion will not focus on the intrigues that many of my fellow epinioners have already discussed. I do recommend their epinions as well but wished to give a psudo virtual tour with some basic Art Historical and social facts.
This summer, on my return to Paris to fly home I ambled through the Loire Valley to visit Imperial chateau and enjoy the landscape. I decided to only see 2 chateau in order to really get the most of my experience, reasoning that I can always revisit the area to see more. This turned out to be a perfect strategy since many of the travelers I met along the way said that they were “chateaued out”.
I wanted to be sure that if you were planning a trip to this area and were wondering which to see, it is a bit overwhelming, that you would make sure to visit Amboise as you get to see two wonderful sites. Naturally the chateau of Amboise and the Clos Luce.
As far as Chateau go, Amboise is quite lovely. It is a massive structure however, the tracery work lightens the exterior and gives it an airy feel. The chateau is perched on the side of a rock face. Be sure to pull over and photograph your approach (if you are coming from the Tours direction).
Be sure to take the time to really take in the details of the site unlike most of the tourists who rushed through and missed the capitals in the State room of the Charles VIII wing which are well carved into scenes of harvest. Often Royals would depict scenes of peasants (like book of hours) to remind themselves that the lower classes were base and “inhuman” (excellent examples of this attitude can be found in the Tres Riches Heures de Duc de Berry which incidentally are housed in Chantilly).
Another fine example of Northern renaissance sculpture mixed with Italian influences can be found at the door of the chapel dedicated to St. Hubert. The miracle of St. Hubert is depicted on the lintel. This small chapel also houses the remains of da Vinci - employee and friend to Francois I.
You will also enjoy a variety of furnishings typical of several periods in this visit. Once you head upstairs you will leave typical renaissance styles into the more “modern” Empire style which is Napoleonic. The best indication of the style is to observe how “tent-like” the rooms are. This is especially evident in the bed curtains. Napoleon, having spent much of his life in battlefield tents, created this more refined, decorative style. The best example of the empire style furnishings would be found at Mal Maison outside of Paris which was the home for Boneparte and his wife, Josephine. But I digress.
Overall, Amboise is a well preserved monument and worth the trip over to it. The son et lumiere shows are more like pagents. I really wanted to see one since it looks very theatrical and fantastic but they only happen on Wed and Sundays. Be sure not to miss it as it seemed to be the most entertaining one in the area.
Personally, I felt that the Clos Luce was an equal to the chateau of Amboise. Certainly not as grand as the chateau visible from the sentry and courtyard, but none the less impressive and only a 5 minute walk (be sure to look at the rock formations on your left to see the unique houses carved into the stone cliffs that are still lived in today).
Home of Lenardo da Vinci and the place that he breathed his final breath on 2 May 1519 (this room is one of the first you encounter). Upon his death he left three works of art there including the famous Mona Lisa. It was also here that this masterpiece was hidden during the revolution (unfortunatly many works were lost at this time - most evident are the saints and royals heads that are "beheaded" on many Cathedrals in France - reason: These sculptures represented the royal wealth that the revolutionaries were fighting aginst. This was in many ways a socialist revolution - but political historian I am not so I will leave this here).
You also learn that this favorite of the court entertained Francoise I frequently in this very home. With all of the period furnishings you can almost imagine lively discussions over cognac or some other potent drink. The manor was made available to da Vinci by his patron, Francoise when he because convinced of Lenardo’s genius. However, it was originally built in 1477 by a secret service agent for Louis XI, grandfather to Francoise.
The exterior is elegant with a stone and brick and typical of the architecture of the period. This manor home is also well fortified with a sentry tower and walkway that guards would have stood watch. The interior is very bourgeois with exquisite rooms and the fit for pleasure and comfort. Gardens and orchards decorate the landscape in a naturalistic fashion.
In the basement is a museum dedicated to the memory of da Vinci complete with many models created by IBM which were based on da Vinci’s drawings. The first car is even here. I was a bit disapointed in this section in contrast with the reast of the historical monument. I have visited the Deuches Museum in Munich which was by far superior (as it should be) than this exibit. I had been under the impression that the models were interactive or docents would demonstrate the models - not so. However multi-language descriptions are informative if not a bit dry. I actually preferred the upstairs rooms to the models but it was interesting to discover here that many of the inventions that he created are still in use today.
There is also a gift shop, naturally which stocks fantastic postcards of the interior as you are not permitted to photograph inside. They also carry information on his inventions and models that are appropriate for children. A cafe is also here which is perfect if you need a break.
Along the exterior of the chateau, the same road which carries you to da Vinci's home are several tourist shops which may have cheaper but not as interesting gifts for your friends and family.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Mynameismir
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Member: Mireille
Location: Baltimore, MD
Reviews written: 66
Trusted by: 31 members
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