Here are a few shots from our miracle sunny stroll through the gardens at Clos Lucé, Leonardo's last home in Amboise, France where he was given this house by François I who lived nearby at the Chateau d'Amboise. I said "miracle" because as we were driving there from Tours, and even up until we parked the car and walked up the hill to Clos Lucé, it was raining. A lot. Then it just stopped, and the sun came out long enough for us to walk around the entire gardens -- which I had not had the opportunity to do on my earlier visit last year when I only got a brief peek.
The house (above), with a model of Leonardo's helicopter invention in the foreground.
This was a model of the military tank Leonardo envisioned. Hey... who's that handsome man in the black hat?
The Prieuré, now used as a restaurant but closed for some renovations.
This is the interior of the pignonnerie which had 1,000 nesting alcoves... so on average it would hold 2,000 pigeons at full capacity, plus their eggs and young offspring. The building had a unique design: square on the outside, octagonal on the inside to allow for better air flow within the building; this was thought to create healthier breeding conditions. Fortunately it smells fine now, but can you imagine
The word you're searching for is: tranquilité.
A peaceful world, Clos Lucé.
