Da Vinci is the 2019 star of the Loire

L'Hôtel de Ville in Tours is an elegant building with an elaborate facade.

This year marks 500 years since the death of Leonardo da Vinci and 500 years since the birth of Catherine de'Medici, France's 16th century queen. Both lived near Amboise in the Loire Valley, so we recently set that village as our destination for a little road trip.

We spy this private château from across the park in Pocé-sur-Cisse near Amboise.

As is our habit, we rent an Airbnb, opting to be out in the country, about 10 minutes from Amboise. We hit the jackpot with this rental: a charming cottage with gracious hosts. We are invited to help ourselves to berries from the garden, and we are brought fresh eggs from the resident chickens for our breakfast. Next year our hosts are opening an Italian restaurant in the caves behind their house. (If any readers are heading that way and want details, leave a comment below.)

This lovely cottage near Amboise in the Loire Valley is our home for a few days.

Since we are meeting my sister who is traveling by train to Tours, we spend our first day in here. Tours is a university town of about 150,000. After parking near the station, we find the tourism office and set off on a walking route that takes us to most of the city's historical sites.

Bright red paint makes this half-timbered (colombage) home in Tours stand out.

One of the most striking buildings we pass is the Hôtel de Ville, designed in the 19th century by the Tourangeau architect Victor Laloux. The city hall and the Palais de Justice next door provide a picture perfect backdrop for the fountains on Place Jean Jaurès, the city's largest square.

The architecture in and around Place Plumereau in Vieux-Tours, the historical heart of Tours, is much older, with loads of half-timbered medieval houses. Several buildings contain a design element unique to Tours: stairs enclosed in colombage that are built on the exterior of the home.

An exterior stairway enclosed in colombage walls is
seen from the Jardins St. Pierre le Puellier in Tours.

We check out the large market hall, but since it's Monday, there are just a few vendors at les Halles. More people, however, can be found hanging out at Place du Grand Marché, a tree-lined street with shops and cafés, less touristy than Place Plumereau.

A biker takes a break in the shade of this contemporary
4-meter-high sculpture called Le Monstre, by Xavier Veilhan in Tours. 

We pass on climbing the 248 steps of la Tour Charlemagne, but we do stop in Basilique Saint-Martin to pay our respects to one of France's patron saints and the emblem of Tours. Not being able to pass up visiting a church that doesn't charge admission, we also visit Cathédrale Saint-Gatien, which contains beautiful stained-glass windows and the tomb of the children of Charles VIII and Anne de Bretagne.

The tomb of the children of Anne de Bretagne and Charles VIII
is located in Cathédrale Saint-Gatien in Tours. 

After a light super of vin délicieux et apéros and a good night's sleep, we are ready for a long day of castle-hopping. We have smartly limited ourselves to visiting three châteaux today, and we make Chenonceau our first destination.

The Marques Tower is all that remains of the original
fortified castle at Chenonceau.

Château de Chenonceau is known as "The Ladies Château" because of the influence of six of the woman who lived here. It was built on the site of a fortified castle, which was demolished to make way for the new château and mill. The owners decided to keep the Marques tower, which they restored in Renaissance style. One can imagine Rapunzel letting down her hair from its top windows.

La Tour des Marquis is seen from a window at Chenonceau.

The first notable woman who lived here was Diane de Poitiers, a favorite mistress of King Henri II. Diane created spectacular gardens and had the famous bridge on the River Cher built. After the king's death, Henri's wife, Catherine de Medici moved in, actually trading homes with Diane. Catherine, mother of three future kings and governing Regent of France for 14 years, improved the château's magnificent gallery and added her own sumptuous gardens. One of Catherine's daughters-in-law, Louise of Lorraine lived at Chenonceau after the death of her husband Henri III.

In 1576, Catherine de'Medici had a gallery built upon Diane de Poitier's
bridge over the River Cher at Chenonceau. 

Through Gallery windows, one can see the exterior
of Château de Chenonceau.

Skip ahead to the 18th century, where Louise Dupin, called "the exquisite representative of the Age of Enlightenment," upgraded Chenonceau and transformed it into an intellectual center. Moreover, she saved the château from destruction during the French Revolution.

Flower arrangements, courtesy of the château greenhouses, are a lovely
feature of Chenonceau.

Chenonceau was transformed into a hospital during World War I.

Chenonceau was restored to its original glory by Marguerite Pelouze in the 19th century. Chocolate heiress Simonne Menier lived here in the 20th century, and she used her fortune to install a hospital to care for thousands of soldiers injured in World War I. She was also an important member of the Resistance during WWII.

We have a bit of fun in Chenonceau's labyrinth, designed by Catherine de'Medici.

Caryatids of Pallas, Cybele and the Telamones, Hercules and Apollo once adorned
the facade of Château Chenonceau. They now stand on the grounds near the labyrinth.

By mid-morning, loads of tourists and schoolchildren are arriving, and we are ready to head back to Amboise. After a successful hunt for a suitable restaurant, we have lunch and make our way to Château d'Amboise. We already bought our admission tickets for the castle and for our final stop at da Vinci's last home, so we're able to benefit from a small discount and skip the line to get in.

Château d'Amboise was considered to be the heart of royal power during
the Renaissance. It was home to all the Valois and Bourbon kings.  

We're given a tablet that, if we were a bit more technologically savvy, we could use to guide us through this royal palace. But we settle for reading our pamphlets.

Amboise has been occupied since Neolithic times. The first trenches of the château were dug in the 4th century. After several turbulent centuries, Louis XI built an oratory here, near to where his wife Charlotte de Savoie lived. In 1470, his son, the future Charles VIII was born here. Eventually, one year before Christopher Columbus's famous discovery, Charles VIII married Anne de Bretagne and made Amboise their home.

The design of the Naples Terrace at Château d'Amboise contained the seeds
for French Renaissance gardens. 

In 1498, Charles VIII died in a freak accident: En route to watch a "real tennis" match — un jeu de paume — the young king hit his head on a door lintel, and soon died ... without an heir.  François d'Angoulême, was chosen by his cousin, Louis XII to be his successor. François grew up at Château d'Ambroise and ascended the throne in 1515. This leads us, at last, to da Vinci.

Place Michel Debré is seen from the walls of Château d'Amboise.

It is assumed that da Vinci is interred in this tomb in the
chapel at Château d'Amboise. Scientists are currently trying
to confirm this using DNA from a lock of his hair.

A great patron of the arts during the Renaissance, François invited the Italian master to Amboise. Da Vinci accepted and spent the last years of his life living at a nearby estate, Clos Lucé. Da Vinci died on May 2, 1519, and his tomb is located in St. Hubert Chapel on the grounds of Château d'Ambroise.

Clos Lucé in Amboise was Da Vinci's final home. 

Surrounded by a vast green and shady park, Clos Lucé, also known as the Château de Cloux, is very different from the other castles we have visited on this trip. Purchased by Charles VIII in 1490, the manor was a summer home for French royalty for 200 years. In addition to its most famous resident, Leonardo da Vinci, Louise de Savoie (regent of France), Duc d'Angoulême (future François I), and Marguerite de Navarre (author of L'Heptaméron) all lived here.

This secret underground passage at Clos Lucé leads to the Château d'Amboise,
400 meters away. King François would sometimes use it to visit his friend
Leonardo da Vinci.

Today, especially due to the anniversary of his death, Clos Lucé is all about da Vinci. We visit his bedroom (carved canopied bed/great view) and that of the mourning-for-her-children Anne de Bretagne (somber/azure blue vaulted ceiling studded with stars).

It's as if Leonardo da Vinci may return at any moment to
finish this painting in his workshop at Clos Lucé.

The basement level is dedicated to da Vinci's workshops and his last laboratory. We are on our last legs when we visit Parc Leonardo da Vinci, dotted with his inventions inspired by nature, mobiles, and large translucent canvases of his paintings and drawings.

This portable bridge, designed by da Vinci, could be moved by soldiers
during campaigns. It is located at Clos Lucé in Amboise.

We've covered a lot of ground on our short sojourn to the Loire Valley. There are still many châteaux on my list, but they must wait until another time.