France Travel Tips

Leonardo da Vinci at Château du Clos Lucé: 500 Years After His Death

[This post was originally published in 2016.]

A visit to the Loire Valley is not complete without seeing Leonardo da Vinci’s inventions at Château du Clos Lucé, especially in 2019. May 2, 2019, is the 500th anniversary of da Vinci’s death in Amboise.

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)

Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum, Paris

Leonardo da Vinci was quite simply a genius. While the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper are perhaps da Vinci’s most famous works, he was more than just a painter. He was also a sculptor, inventor, engineer, and visionary.

Leonardo da Vinci was born in Italy in 1452 and was exposed to the arts early in his life, as an apprentice to artist Andrea di Cione.

As a young man, he was commissioned to do paintings in Italy and eventually expanded his work into the areas of engineering and architecture. His interest in and study of the sciences covered geology, anatomy, astronomy, mathematics, and cartography.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Home In France

While most people think of Italy as the home of Leonardo da Vinci, many do not realize that he lived in the Loire Valley at Château de Cloux, now known as Château du Clos Lucé (Click here for the latest prices of tickets).   He lived there beginning in 1516 after being invited by the King of France and worked there until his death on May 2, 1519.

Clos Lucé Chateau, Amboise (J. Chung)

He was initially buried in Amboise at the Chapel of St. Florentin; however, the chapel was demolished during the French Revolution. In the 1800s, bones supposedly belonging to Leonardo da Vinci were discovered and they were buried at Chapelle Saint-Hubert. This is a tiny chapel located on the grounds of Château d’Amboise and a beautiful tribute to da Vinci. The interior is particularly striking when the stained glass is reflected on the tomb’s plaque.

Leonardo da Vinci tomb at Chapelle Saint-Hubert (J Chung)

Château du Clos Lucé in Amboise

Clos Lucé

It is at Clos Lucé, also known as the Leonardo da Vinci Museum, where you will really discover the genius.   I visited Château du Clos Lucé on a beautiful spring day and did not spend a lot of time in the Château (built in 1471).

I found being outside, walking amongst the recreated inventions, most enjoyable. Leonardo da Vinci is seen as the inventor who conceptualized the flying machine, the parachute, and various weapons, like the tank and the catapult.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Inventions at Château du Clos Lucé

At the Château you can see 20 life-size models which have been scattered throughout the gardens and park. His work and inventions are certainly brought to life in an open-air museum.   Children will find the park interesting as many of the inventions are interactive. Here are some highlights:

Clos Luce Tank

Yes, this is a tank, like the kind used in modern-day wars, just not quite the tank as we know it today. There were openings on all sides and it was mobile. Leonardo da Vinci was known as a military engineer and he also had some of the first designs for machine guns and catapults.

Flying Machine

Clos Luce Flying Machine

Leonardo’s study of birds inspired him to create many flying-related machine designs including human-powered ones like the ornithopter. This machine theoretically achieves flight by the flapping of wings. Sadly the machine did not work but certainly was the precursor to our modern day airplane.

This model’s wingspan is 12 meters wide.

Portable Bridge

Clos Luce Portable Bridge

The military loved da Vinci’s invention of the portable or revolving bridge. Think of it as a temporary bridge that can be easily moved on wheels to different parts of a body of water like a stream. It would allow soldiers to easily cross over to the other side.

Clos Luce Helicopter

da Vinci’s designs from 1480 proposed an ariel screw-shaped device with blades that would rotate fast enough to lift the device off the ground. A technically sound version and modern-day design was the helicopter and it wasn’t developed until the early 1900s.

Paddle Wheel

Clos Luce Paddle wheel

Leonardo invented the paddle wheel and it was used on boats for centuries until propellers took over. Fortunately, large paddle steamers or riverboats still exist around the world, especially in Switzerland. Smaller versions, called pedalos or paddle boats are used for recreational purposes where two people use their feet to turn the paddle wheels.

Reproductions of da Vinci’s Paintings On Canvas

Throughout the grounds are large reproductions of Leonardo da Vinci’s paintings and they have added a sense of design to the park.

Inside The Chateau

Don’t forget to visit inside the chateau where you will see his bedchamber (with a reproduction of the Mona Lisa), the large salons and the kitchen, located in the basement. The basement also houses many of his drawings and models of his inventions that you saw outside.

Visitor Information

App: Château du Clos Lucé has a free, informative app in English and French that gives information about the artist and château and animated examples of some of Vinci’s inventions.

Location:  Chateau du Clos Lucé is located just 500 meters from Château d’Amboise in the town of Amboise. So if you are visiting the town’s chateau, be sure to visit Clos Lucé.

If you want to learn more about traveling in the Loire Valley, check out these posts:

  • Some Truly Unique Chateaux In The Loire Valley
  • So Many Loire Valley Chateaux To See In A Week

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Leonardo da Vinci at Chateau du Clos Luce

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22 Comments

Château du Clos Lucé looks like a great place to visit to get a glimpse of da Vince the engineer.

Absolutely. So neat to learn things beyond the “Mona Lisa”. He was truly a genius.

That’s amazing – I’d never associated Leonardo da Vinci with France. I’d love to see those models of his inventions.

They were really cool. I now wish I had taken more pictures!

Wow, how cool to see many of Da Vinci’s inventions come to life!

Yes and especially nice on a spring day!

How fascinating. I’d love to see the Da Vinci inventions at Château de Clos Lucé. Love the photo of you and the helicopter!

Thank you. It was pretty big.

Hope I get to visit Château du Clos Lucé one day. I really like that portable bridge!

All the inventions were so cool….and as I recall, BIG!

Amazing! What a fun time it would be to wander around the grounds of Château du Clos Lucé, amongst all these wonderful inventions. Da Vinci was so much more than the Mona Lisa.

So true! I had no idea what a genius he was until I visite Clos Lucé.

Jan I think we are parallel travelers! I had a big smile on my face when I read your title. We stumbled across Chateau du Clos Luce on a driving trip we did a few years back in Loire Valley. I had no idea Da Vinci lived in France and was such an inventor. It’s a magical place and must-see for anyone traveling in the area.

Doesn’t surprise me that you’ve been there. I think you love France as much as I do! I agree that the landscaping and attention to detail plus all those inventions really do make it a magical place. So maybe you should tell me where else you’ve been so I’ll be sure to write about it!!

I love the actual sized inventions and you can walk and check them out. What a cool place to see Leonardo’s amazing work in a wonderful setting

Yes, I think being exhibited on the grounds of the chateaux make the inventions that much more interesting and enjoyable to see.

What a wonderful place to visit and immerse yourself in the work of a genius. Thanks for letting me know about this treasure in Amboise.

You’re welcome. Amboise is a beautiful town to visit.

Château du Clos Luce looks like a great place to visit, especially with kids. I saw a show once on TV — one of those programs where they test myths and legends scientifically– in which they built a tank according to Da Vinci’s drawings, and it worked! They were able to make it roll and shoot a cannon inside it. It would have been completely unusable, though, on uneven ground, and impractical in shooting.

Yes, I guess 500 years ago his designs were ingenious but perhaps not totally accurate. That show would have been interesting. Château du Clos Lucé would definitely be great for kids.

I have always been fascinated by the genius of Da Vinci and all the ways that translated beyond his painting and sculpture. I would love to go to the Château du Clos Lucé and see some of the models of his inventions. How fascinating! I had no idea he had even lived in France. Thanks for this info!

You’re welcome. I always love learning new things and agree that da Vinci certainly was a genius.

leonardo da vinci museum tours france

I mmerse yourself in the history of Clos Lucé with the thematic guided tours

Free tour open house Clos Luce Amboise castle Leonard Da Vinci

- Visitor's guide (of the château and park) in 5 languages (English, French, Italian, Spanish and German) available for free from the ticket office.

- Eight audio installations around the park recreate Leonardo da Vinci’s thoughts in English, French, Italian and German. For the hearing impaired, the transcripts of the audio installations are available from the ticket office.

▪️ Recommended duration of visit: 3h (château, park, Leonardo da Vinci painter and architect galleries) / 3h30 ( château, park, Leonardo da Vinci painter and architect galleries + exhibition in the Museographic Hall)

We would like to inform visitors that restoration work is underway in the Communes building on the Renaissance Terrace, which will have no impact on the usual tour, as all of Le Clos Lucé's visitor areas will remain accessible. We look forward to seeing you!

Download the Clos Lucé and Leonardo da Vinci Park visit map

guided tour guide castle Clos Luce Amboise Leonardo Da Vinci

Guided tour (only in French)

Book a tour with our guide and take a historic walk in the Clos Lucé. A chance to learn more about the history of Leonardo da Vinci who lived here, and to discover his last projects for the King Francis I.

- Duration: 60 min

- Tour times (2024) :

▪ January and February: 11.30am, 2.30pm, 4pm ▪ March to October: 11.30am, 2.30pm, 4.15pm ▪ November and December: 11.30am, 2.30pm, 3.45pm

- Price: €4.50 (in addition to the admission fee). Booking: click here .

guided tour english clos lucé

Family guided tour in Leonardo da Vinci's park (in french)

As an alternative to the guided tour of the property advertised, visit Leonardo da Vinci Park, an open-air museum, and listen with your family to the story of Clos Lucé and learn all about the multi-talented Leonardo da Vinci :

- Duration : 1h - Tour times :

▪ Easter and All Saints school holidays, Monday to Saturday: 11am and 2.15pm ▪ Summer school holidays, daily: 11am and 2.15pm ▪ Christmas holidays, Tuesday to Saturday: 11am, 2.15pm

- Price : €6 from visitors aged 7+ (in addition to the admission fee). Booking: click here

GUIDED TOUR WITH MATHURINE IN ENGLISH (ONLY FOR GROUPS) : The guided tour in English has to be booked directly with Amboise Val de Loire Tourism Office : +33(0)2 47 57 09 28.

Activities and family offers

The Clos Lucé - Family offers

A t the Château du Clos Lucé, discovering Leonardo da Vinci is a family activity. Explore the world of Leonardo using his inventor’s notebook and his workshops, through our family-friendly approach!

leonardo da vinci museum tours france

To make your visit easier

Here at Le Clos Lucé we are keen to help families really enjoy their visit. To make sure that it is as successful as possible, we have available:

▪ A picnic area in the park with several tables in the shade ▪ Facilities to heat bottles ▪ Specially-adapted toilet blocks with low-level basins, stepstools and adapted washbasin

Le Clos Lucé offers special rates for large families and packages for families with 2, 3 and 4 children.

Clos Lucé - inventor's notebook - family visit

The inventor's notebook (7-12 years old)

Where did Leonardo get his brilliant ideas from?

For children from 7 to 12, the Clos Lucé offers Le Carnet de l'Inventeur (The Inventor's Notebook), a booklet to introduce Le Clos Lucé in a fun way. Each child becomes one of Leonardo's students, and he tells them his "tricks and tips", giving them key information to invent an incredible machine. You can pick up at the ticket office.

The notebook is available in French and English (pencils are not provided).

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Le Château du Clos Luce - Parc Leonardo da Vinci

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Explore France’s Loire Valley in the Footsteps of Leonardo da Vinci

Five centuries after his death, visitors can pay homage to the artist at these sites in central France where he spent his final years

Jennifer Billock

Jennifer Billock

Travel Correspondent

Château de Chambord

Most think of Leonardo da Vinci as being geographically tied to Italy, and for good reason. The visionary artist and scientist spent the majority of his life there. He was born in Vinci, Italy, in 1452. When he was about 15 years old, Leonardo began an apprenticeship with painter, sculptor and goldsmith Andrea del Verrochio in Florence, and joined the city's painters' guild. He spent most of his career in Florence and Milan— studying, seeking to attain perfection through his painting (though it's known that he never felt he had achieved this with the "Mona Lisa"), and inventing contraptions like his f lying m achine.

However, in 1515, the king of France, Francis I, came to visit Lyons and was greeted by a walking mechanical lion Leonardo built. The king was so impressed that in 1516, he invited Leonardo to come live on the property of his castle in the Loire Valley, where the polymath spent the last three years leading up to his death on May 2, 1519.

During his final years in France, Leonardo's interests focused on engineering and architecture, working at the request of the king on projects ranging from a hunting lodge to a completely contained new capital city. Although many of Leonardo's grandest designs were never fully executed, visitors to the Loire Valley's vineyard-covered landscapes can still see imprints of the artist's genius 500 years later.

Château du Clos Lucé

When Leonardo moved to France upon invitation from the king, he took up residence at the Château du Clos Lucé , a mansion on the grounds of the Château d'Amboise, where King Francis I lived. Leonardo lived the remaining three years of his life in this home, walking through an underground tunnel to see the king—who called Leonardo "father"—in the main residence on the property. The artist brought three paintings with him from Italy to his new French home: the " Mona Lisa ," " The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne " and " St. John the Baptist ," all of which are now on display at the Louvre. He died in his bedroom in 1519 at age 67 from complications of recurrent strokes.

Today, the mansion has been restored to the way it appeared during Leonardo’s stay there, including his bedroom, his basement studio, the original frescoes on the walls and the high stone hearth in the kitchen. Leonardo particularly loved the colorful stained glass throughout the house. The basement houses about 40 3D models created from his blueprints, and the garden at the property has full-scale representations of some of his inventions, like his assault chariot, aerial screw and revolving bridge.

Château de Chambord

Château de Chambord

Leonardo would never see the final completion of the Château de Chambord ; construction was just beginning the year he died. It’s theorized by historians and Leonardo scholars, though, that he designed at least part of the castle. Tanaka Hidemichi, a French and Italian art historian at Tohoku University in Japan, notes that though original plans by Leonardo have never been found and French updates to the castle have obscured some of the architectural history, the footprint of the building is undeniably a Leonardo design. Hidemichi and other scholars point to the building's double helix staircase flanked by identical apartments as examples of the mathematical elegance that hallmarks nearly all of Leonardo’s work.

Visitors today can explore the castle and formal French gardens by foot, or tour the grounds by boat, bike or horse-drawn carriage. Horse and bird shows are also held regularly on site.

Romorantin

Romorantin was a massive undertaking for Leonardo and King Francis I. The king hired Leonardo to design the entire town, creating an ideal utopian city that he expected to become the capital of France. The project —consisting of a canal with water diverted from a Loire tributary, a royal palace, gardens, water mills, irrigated farmland, sewers and suburbs—was never realized. The king put his efforts and energy elsewhere (into the castle at Chambord) as Leonardo’s health began to fail.

Although visitors won’t see the fruition of the pair’s grand plans, Romorantin is still a picturesque town with shops, wilderness activities, restaurants and museums.

Château d'Amboise

Château d'Amboise

The Château d'Amboise is the main estate on the grounds where Leonardo lived out the remainder of his years; the artist’s home was less than 1,000 feet away. From the 1400s to the 1800s, the castle was a royal residence; now it’s a tourism draw with the castle, the gardens, the towers and the underground areas open to visitors.

Leonardo’s tomb is on the grounds, as well. In the early 19th century, much of the palace was demolished, including a chapel and graveyard where Leonardo laid at rest per his wishes. About 100 years later, some bones were discovered on the property that are allegedly Leonardo’s. They were ultimately moved into a tomb in the Chapel of Saint-Hubert, in the castle gardens, marked by a concrete slab with his name, a disc embossed with his portrait and a plaque describing why his bones are there, rather than at the destroyed site.

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Jennifer Billock

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Jennifer Billock is an award-winning writer, bestselling author, and editor. She is currently dreaming of an around-the-world trip with her Boston terrier. Check out her website at jenniferbillock.com .

MECHANISMS From Leonardo's codexes the machine showing the principles: motion tranformation, loking system, flyweel, worm screw, ball bearer, eccentric cam, etc. EARTH Many interactive machines: the printig machines, the revolving crane, the oil press, the automaton, the rolling mill, the odometer, the theatrical machine, the fantastic animal, etc. WATER Still very modern and in use today are the machines ispired to water: the hydraulic saw, the Archimedean scew, the water floats, the webbed glove . AIR In this section: Leonardo's parachute, the hornithopters, the wing trial, the anemometer, and anemoscope, the hygrometer, the comedy bird, etc. FIRE Artillery machines were ispired by the Atlantic Codex. Among these the mortar fire and the machine gun. In this section: the armured tank, unique in the whole for its dimensions and fully interactive.

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  • Leonardo da Vinci Museum

The Leonardo da Vinci Museum in Florence

Leonardo da Vinci is without a doubt one of the most famous Tuscan and Italian historical figures of all time . Having lived between 1452 and 1519, he continues to be the symbol of the Renaissance and its rebirth, with his attention dedicated to the arts including painting, sculpture, architecture, music, design and choreography for plays (which he loved). Leonardo was a diligent scholar of anatomy and relentless inventor and designer... in general, curious about everything!

Leonardo da Vinci was a true genius , one of the few whose work and skill was appreciated during his own lifetime and not only after his death. In fact, he died in France precisely because his knowledge and fame was known, and King Francis I of France requested him go work at his court.

Leonardo da Vinci, inventor and designer

Many works by Leonardo da Vinci still exist today, but many others have been lost through the centuries. Many of his most famous works are also not in Italy (just think of the famous Monna Lisa conserved at the Louvre in Paris), although one of the most famous in Italy which can be still be visited is his Last Supper affresco found in the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan .

In his lifetime, Leonardo completed a large number of scientific manuscripts (well over 4000 pages!) where he kept his notes of his studies and made a lot of sketches on a wide range of interests and preoccupations. These pages were later collected into notebooks or codexes , and among these, the most important and interesting is the one on the Flight of Birds (conserved in Turin) and the  Codex Atlanticus (twelve volumes of notebooks kept at the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan).

Thanks to these codexes, it has been possible to reconstruct some of Leonardo's designs in various fields, from military to civil engineering and to those related to the study of flight.

In Florence , you can admire some of Leonardo's interesting studies in the form of the reconstructions of these "machines" at the Leonardo da Vinci Museum . The small private museum is on via de’ Servi 66R, the street that connects Piazza del Duomo with Piazza S.S. Annunziata so very central. We went to visit it , and despite knowing a bit about Leonardo da Vinci, were still surprised at finding ourselves in front of these machines brought to life from his notebooks, particularly as there are several extraordinary and curious machines given the time in which they were imagined over 500 years ago.

If you're planning a vacation to Florence, cradle of the Renaissance, we recommend adding the Leonardo da Vinci Museum into your itinerary! Here's our review of what the museum contains and what we liked about it.

Leonardo's Machines in Florence

The Leonardo da Vinci Museum is a block away from Piazza Duomo , on the very central via de'Servi. The museum will take you back to Leonardo's fascinating and complex world , the one where he was able to imagine and draw machines for many different purposes found in his notebooks. For us, it was a very interesting trip back into history and into the mind of this great genius!

The machines you'll find at the museum have been built to natural size and are functional , all with a description in various languages (English, Italian, Russian, Spanish, French and German) explaining what they were to be used for. Some of the machines are hands-on interactive displays which means you can handle them and figure out how they work, by moving or pushing levers... in essence, getting to walk in the shoes of the great Leonardo da Vinci. A few are not to be touched (signs indicate that) as they might not have moving parts but you can still get up close and check them out.

The machines are not divided by type, but you can easily identify their intended use, whether for war, everyday use or for flight.

The machines of war

Leonardo dedicated a lot of his time to the study of weapons and bellicose machines . At the museum, for example, you can see the bombard , an artillery cannon that Leonardo designed to easily rotate on an axis, and the large armored car from drawings in the Arundel Codex, which could rotate 360° and was protected with metal sheets (not included on this model as it would be too heavy).

The civil engineering machines

The museum also has several examples of civil engineering machines that reveal the inventiveness of Leonardo's mind in the areas of mechanics as well as hydraulics .

You can try to maneuver the revolving crane or the Archimedean screw , which had the function of pumping water and thus could be used to transport water to towns, drain swamps or create fountains. Very functional uses!

The machines of flight

Leonardo da Vinci was fascinated by the phenomenon of flight and, in the early 1500s, dedicated a lot of his time to the study of the flight of birds. His studies reveal his dream of creating a flying machine that would allow man to take flight. Drawings and notes on this subject are collected on the Codex on the Flight of Birds .

Among the most interesting designs that you can see at the Leonardo da Vinci museum in this area are the " ornithopter ", similar to a glider but with a sort of bicycle (which he did not invent) which would maneuver the complex system of wing motion, the parachute (in wood so not workable - imagine if he had had the right materials back then!) and the ornithopter with partially fixed wings (both of these ornithopters are in the photo below).

Practical information on the museum

The museum is open every day , except for December 24th and 25th. The visit to the museum can be completed on your own, as all of the machines are clearly described in the multilingual panels. However, if you'd like to delve deeper into the workings of the machines and of the creativeness behind them, you should consider booking a guided visit (you need to book at least a few days ahead of time, to make sure there is availability).

The museum is quite small but we still recommend you to take your time when visiting it, reading all of the descriptions of the machines to understand their purpose and mechanism. Take time to try out the interactive machines, which can be fun for children and adults alike! To really enjoy the museum, we recommend allowing yourself 2 hours for the visit (and some time in the bookshop).

During the year, the Leonardo da Vinci Museum organizes special guided visits (with Leonardo himself leading the group) in Italian, English and French and special workshops for families with kids (in Italian). For more information on these and on the museum, you can  complete the form on the site or call the museum at +39 055 282966.

The entrance into the museum is through the bookshop , where you can find a rich collection of books and guides on Leonardo da Vinci and much more, including many great ideas for gifts and souvenirs from the museum such as small reproductions to build yourself of Leonardo's machines. You're sure to find something original and unique that would make a great gift for a friend or for your kids or family members. If you're undecided on what to get, ask either Alessandra or Isabella who are in charge of the museum and bookshop and were very kind and friendly on our visit.

If the Monna Lisa comes to mind when you think of Leonardo da Vinci, then after your visit to this museum that will no longer be the case. We recommend you delve into the inventive and inquisitive mind that envisioned and studied nature, physics and engineering to create some impressive machines centuries ago by visiting the Leonardo da Vinci Museum in Florence. We enjoyed our visit, learned a lot more on Leonardo and brought home some souvenirs to play with ;-).

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🇫🇷 Elles sont arrivées !⚱️🏛️

🤝 Le département des Antiquités orientales accueille dix œuvres majeures du Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art du @metmuseum de New York, actuellement fermé pour des travaux de rénovation globale.

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🇫🇷 Le mardi, c’est le #JourDeFermeture au musée du Louvre ! Dans l’aile Sully, le Scribe accroupi retrouve une inhabituelle tranquillité. 👀

🌍 Tuesday is #ClosingDay at the Louvre! In the Sully wing, the Seated Scribe found an unusual tranquility. 👀

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🇫🇷 Le mardi, c’est le #JourDeFermeture au musée du Louvre ! Les Lamassus prennent un peu de repos dans la cour Khorsabad. 👀

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🇫🇷 Le mardi, c’est le #JourDeFermeture au musée du Louvre ! Dans la Grande Galerie, les chefs-d’œuvre de la peinture italienne retrouvent un peu de calme. 👀

🌍 Tuesday is #ClosingDay at the Louvre! In the Grande Galerie, the masterpieces of Italian painting regain some calm. 👀

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🇫🇷 Le mardi, c’est le #JourDeFermeture au musée du Louvre ! Au bout de la galerie Michel-Ange, les Esclaves sculptés par le maître italien prennent un peu de repos. 👀

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🇫🇷 Inspectons les œuvres du musée avec #LouvreALaLoupe ! Aujourd’hui, focus sur deux chefs-d’œuvre du 16e siècle !

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🇫🇷 Le mardi, c’est le #JourDeFermeture au musée du Louvre ! Au cœur du département des Antiquités égyptiennes, traversez la salle du Temple jusqu’au Naos d’Amasis. 🏛️

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🇫🇷 Le mardi, c’est le #JourDeFermeture au musée du Louvre ! De la Grande Odalisque d’Ingres à la Victoire de Samothrace, remontez le temps en traversant la salle Daru. 🕰️

🌍 Tuesday is #ClosingDay at the Louvre! From Ingres’ Grande Odalisque to the Winged Victory of Samothrace, step back in time through the Daru room. 🕰️

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TO CELEBRATE 20 YEARS SINCE THE MUSEUM'S OPENING ENTRANCE TICKETS ARE OFFERED ONLINE WITH AN EXTRAORDINARY DISCOUNT OF 50%

By purchasing tickets on other online platforms you may find them at a less advantageous rate, why choose to buy here your ticket.

  • Only on this website can you purchase them with an exceptional discount of 50% compared to the official museum rate
  • You are guaranteed entry to the Museum
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  • You can buy your ticket whenever you want, 24 hours a day.
  • You don't need to print the ticket, you can show it from your smartphone.

Adult ticket (online)

€7.90 (50% discounted rate).

At the museum ticket office, you can purchase remaining tickets for the day, but without the 50% discount. However, we cannot guarantee entry as they may sell out.

We recommend securing your tickets online here.

The full-price ticket is for visitors aged 18 and above.

Click here to purchase your ticket online at a 50% discounted rate, selecting the day and entry time, with no additional fees and pre-sale rights.

If you cancel the ticket at least 24 hours before the visit, we will refund the full amount paid.

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€6.90 (50% discounted rate).

At the museum ticket office, you can purchase remaining tickets for the day, but without the 50% discount, and we cannot guarantee entry as they may sell out.

We recommend securing your tickets by purchasing them directly here.

The reduced-price ticket is for visitors aged 3 to 17 years old.

The museum visit is recommended from 7/8 years old.

The purchase is made through a secure and encrypted transaction, with immediate confirmation and a mobile ticket.

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At the museum ticket office, you can purchase remaining tickets for the day without the 50% discount, and we cannot guarantee entry as they may sell out.

The student ticket is for visitors aged up to 21, upon presenting a valid student ID at the entrance.

Click here to purchase your ticket online at a 50% discounted rate , selecting the day and entry time, with no additional fees and pre-sale rights.

The purchase is made through a secure and encrypted transaction, with immediate confirmation, and you will receive the ticket on your smartphone.

ITALIAN GUIDED TOUR

Online price €12.90.

We currently organize guided tours only in Italian language and exclusively on Saturdays and Sundays , with few places available.

The fee, per person , applies from the age of 3 and includes the museum entrance fee and the guided tour in a small group.

Guided tours must be booked and purchased by clicking here , without commission and pre-sale fees.

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If you cancel your ticket within 24 hours of your visit, we will refund the full amount paid.

FREE ADMISSIONS

Free admission to the museum is allowed for children up to 2 years of age , held by the hand of a parent (who must ensure close supervision) throughout the visit.

Also entitled to free admission are Florence Tourist Guides in possession of an identification card to be shown at the entrance.

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The visit to the interactive museum lasts approximately 1 hour .

The interactive workshops do not have to be booked separately as they are already included in the listed rates.

Children under the age of 14 may only enter if accompanied by their parents , who retain responsibility for their constant supervision inside the museum.

There is a WIFI connection in the museum and a free online audio guide (without downloading an app) that you can listen to directly from your smartphone in Italian, French, English , Spanish, German and Portuguese. These services are included in the price of the ticket and if you wish to use them, we recommend that you bring your smartphone and headphones.

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Unlocking Da Vinci’s legacy: behind the scenes of the ‘500 Years of Genius’ exhibition

Words:  Charlotte Coates

| 13 min read

Grande Experiences ‘ latest production invites guests to immerse themselves in Leonardo’s life and work

The latest touring exhibition from Grande Experiences, a  leading global arts and culture immersive experience company , is dedicated to the life and works of Leonardo da Vinci .  Blending digital technology with physical artefacts to create a captivating experience and transcend the boundaries of traditional museums, the new show seeks to engage visitors on multiple sensory levels while providing deep insights into this timeless genius.

Da Vinci continues to captivate audiences even 500 years after his passing. His multifaceted talents as an artist, inventor, engineer, and visionary mean that his legacy transcends generations. The new touring exhibition, Leonardo da Vinci – 500 Years of Genius , takes a unique approach to presenting his life and works. offering visitors a truly immersive journey into the mind of the Renaissance polymath.

Authenticity and connection

At the heart of the exhibition lies a commitment to authenticity and connection. Rather than simply showcasing Da Vinci’s famous artworks, the exhibition delves deeper into his diverse talents and interests, from engineering to anatomy, from art to warfare. Through meticulously crafted machine inventions, visitors are transported back in time to witness the ingenuity of one of history’s greatest minds.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Grande Experiences (@grande_experiences)

One of the exhibition’s highlights for the launch of the new experience at THE LUME Melbourne in March 2024 is the display of pages from Da Vinci’s original notebooks, the Codex Atlanticus , on loan from the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan.

These priceless artefacts offer a rare glimpse into the inner workings of Da Vinci’s mind. They showcase his sketches, ideas, and scientific observations. To enhance the viewing experience, a bespoke room has been created to house the Codex pages, providing visitors with a serene and intimate space to explore the genius of Da Vinci up close.

To find out more about the creation of Leonardo da Vinci – 500 Years of Genius , we speak to Grande’s head of creative experiences, Gary Moynihan , and Rob Kirk , head of touring.

Immersive storytelling

Technology plays a crucial role in bringing Da Vinci’s world to life. The exhibition leverages cutting-edge audiovisual technology to engage visitors in a multisensory experience. Virtual reality simulations allow visitors to take flight over Florence, experiencing first-hand Da Vinci’s fascination with human flight. Operatic scores accompany the visual journey, adding emotional depth and drama.

At the heart of it all, however, is a commitment to storytelling. Each exhibit, each artefact, is carefully curated to tell a cohesive narrative that resonates with visitors of all ages. Whether it’s the revelation of hidden details in the Mona Lisa or the exploration of Da Vinci’s military inventions, the exhibition aims to spark curiosity and ignite imagination.

Talking about how this production is an evolution of Grande’s vision, Moynihan says:

“This is quite a different take on our recent approach to experiences. Here we’re blending a digital experience with physical artefacts, to help deepen the connection to this particular subject matter.

“It’s more meaningful and engaging; we want visitors to come away having found some personal connection to it.”

This is a unique exhibition, adds Kirk:

“It is an opportunity for us to fuse different elements of an experience. We’ve got the display of Leonardo’s machine inventions, where we’ve worked in collaboration with our partner Museo Leonardo da Vinci in Rome. Then we have integrated various digital interpretations to encourage a deeper understanding and appreciation of Leonardo and his ideas and thoughts. And finally, we have our multisensory immersive gallery.

“For us, those three overarching elements allow us to encompass an extensive and comprehensive exhibition on Leonardo.”

Exploring Leonardo da Vinci’s life and legacy

Leonardo da Vinci’s legacy is vast. This means that deciding what to include and how to approach the content was one of the first challenges that the Grande Experiences team faced.

“Leonardo da Vinci is such a broad topic,” says Moynihan. “Everyone knows the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper . But then he was also an engineer, a scientist, a sculptor, a musician, an inventor, an architect…the list goes on. He had such a wide spectrum of abilities, and he was a genius in every one of them. What we’re able to do in this experience is play on those and start to explore his thoughts in different areas.”

“The experience itself puts on display machine inventions based on drawings that he did. There isn’t any evidence to suggest he ever built these machines, but his ideas and inventions are all sketched out in his notebooks. Here we have these inventions crafted by Italian artisans, using the same materials that would have been available to Leonardo had he gone about prototyping something.

“To have a physical object in the room is compelling, and it’s got an incredible story behind it. But there’s also a contrast between who Leonardo was, and what he produced. There is a real juxtaposition between arguably the most beautiful art and these horrific war machines, designed to kill people.

“Leonardo’s this type of person where you never know what’s coming next. So, for visitors, it’s not a one-dimensional experience. There’s a lot of immersive content there. That comes back to our core belief that an immersive experience is not just projection. It’s everything; it’s spatial design, it’s the place setting, but it’s also the connection to artefacts that have stories behind them.”

A multisensory experience

Expanding on the multisensory elements of the experience, Moynihan says:

“Historically, our productions have focused more on the multisensory side of the experience, but we’ve taken a different approach here as we’re strategically placing the immersive element a bit later in the experience.”

That means visitors connect with Da Vinci as a human being first:

“He was an absolute genius. But he was flawed as well. He was an outsider. He had an inferiority complex. His mind was going a mile a minute, his entire life.”

“We’ve looked at interesting stories from his life. For example, he’s credited with coming up with an early form of scuba diving equipment. All we have from that is a couple of sketches in a notebook. But we were able to play on that in an immersive experience. We fill up the gallery with water and explore what the picture in his mind might have been.

“We also do a more traditional presentation of his artwork. But then we look to deconstruct his paintings and look at the different areas of them. For instance, we have a beautiful sequence where we build up the Mona Lisa . Everyone knows the Mona Lisa , but there’s so much going on in that painting that it’s hard to capture it all. In the immersive content, we’re able to deconstruct that image and start to reveal the stories behind it.

“We also built an operatic score behind it to give it a real sense of delicacy and beauty because ultimately it is a beautiful image in its purest and simplest form, which is what Leonardo always wanted to create; the ultimate portrait.”

Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Atlanticus

A standout feature of the exhibition in Melbourne is a selection of pages from Da Vinci’s authentic notebooks, known as the Codex Atlanticus. These are on loan from the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan.

“They’re original Leonardo da Vinci drawings, so it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view these in the flesh,” says Moynihan. “For us, it goes back to our philosophy and our desire as an organisation to transcend the digital-only approach and to lean on this connection between a digital immersive experience plus an artefact experience, blending the two.

“We created a bespoke room to display these. We could have tried to recreate the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan with its gilded ceiling, plush red carpet and 500-year-old books everywhere. But there’s a beautiful quote by Leonardo himself: “Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication” which we have used as the inspiration for the design of this room.”

“We had fairly strict guidelines on how to display the actual pages themselves, so there are custom-built display cases with specific lighting and climate control. 

“We’ve also got codices facsimiles on display so that visitors can see the scale of these incredible notebooks. Every page just opens up another chapter of his mind. We’re able to link the pages that we have on display back to other areas in the experience as well. For instance, one of the pages has a military sketch on it, and we then have that machine built in the experience

“We’re able to create these connections within the exhibition. That has become an important part of why we wanted to include the Codex pages, to make that real tangible link to the hand of Leonardo himself.”

Delving deeper into the Mona Lisa

The experience also includes a significant section honouring the work of renowned French optical engineer Pascal Cotte , who served as a consultant to the Louvre Museum , and his multispectral camera, which can scan from ultraviolet to infrared. His study reveals hitherto undiscovered information by removing the layers from the Mona Lisa .

The Mona Lisa Revealed gallery explores Cotte’s ongoing discoveries, which have taken over fifteen years to complete. It features the only exact 360-degree replica of the well-known painting in existence, created from his unique research, with Cotte’s 240,000,000-pixel multispectral camera revealing the painting’s front, back, and sides to the public.

Moynihan explains:

“Cotte was able to reveal several findings based on his imagery because he was able to photograph the entire light spectrum. That means we can see the full gamut, not only viewable by the human eye but underneath the surface as well.

“With all that imagery, we’ve been able to recreate a 3D Mona Lisa so you can see the reverse of the poplar wood panel. It is an interesting historical artefact in its own right, and it’s had this incredible history of where it’s been over the years. It was in hiding during the war, it was on display in the United States and Japan, and it was in Napoleon’s bathroom. So, throughout the years it’s picked up marks and scratches. And there’s been writing on the back of it that’s been added over the centuries as well.

“It’s a fascinating insight into one of the most iconic images.”

Technology as a tool to enhance the narrative

The exhibition is  a high-tech environment, but the team hasn’t used technology for technology’s sake, stresses Moynihan:

“The artefacts themselves include interactive machine inventions. They’re very tactile and low-tech, so we’ve kind of got this balance between a high-tech immersive environment and these physical artefacts. We’re not there to celebrate the tech. We want our visitors to focus on the content and on what we are presenting.”

“We’ve introduced a VR piece of equipment as well, where we have a flight simulation over Florence. This plays on this idea of storytelling; Da Vinci’s story is all about flight, in some ways. His earliest memory was of a bird flying into his cot as a baby, and that’s what inspired his fascination with flight. He genuinely thought in his lifetime, humans would be flying. So, we’ve done the next best thing.”

Da Vinci never flew himself, of course, but he designed machines that he thought had the potential to fly.      

“It’s taking the 21st-century technology that we’ve now got available to play on his story. That piece of equipment wouldn’t make sense unless it was relevant to the story, it doesn’t become part of the visitor experience. That’s our approach to technology in general. We use it if it tells a story or if it helps tell the story. If it doesn’t, it’s just a piece of equipment and anyone can do that.”

Leonardo da Vinci and Renaissance Italy

The exhibition also pays homage to Da Vinci’s contemporaries and the broader context of the Italian Renaissance. Visitors are treated to a journey through the artistic achievements of Giotto, Titian, Raphael, Michelangelo, and others, culminating in a crescendo at the Sistine Chapel.

This curated selection of artworks serves to contextualise Da Vinci’s contributions within the larger cultural and historical landscape of his time:

“We wanted to tell a story about the Italian Renaissance itself, which was where Leonardo lived and worked; that was his era and he was the master of it, but there was so much else going on,” explains Moynihan. “It’s such a rich history. We wanted to celebrate it and put into context the time and place of Leonardo as well.

“I’d almost describe it as a love letter to Italy. It’s a tribute to the best of the Italian Renaissance, and we’ve paired it with an Italian opera score. We wanted to play on this idea of drama, and the highs and lows of the music to make an emotional connection with our visitors. So, it becomes quite a beautiful piece of content but it’s quite dramatic as well.

“It’s a separate piece of content from Leonardo’s story. We tell Leonardo’s story and then, as that story concludes, we take a look at the rest of the period. It’s a beautiful story of progression through the Italian Renaissance, showing the improvement of perspective and depiction of humanity. We’re also then supplementing that with imagery of where some of this artwork exists, for instance, churches and galleries in Italy.

“It becomes a celebration of Italy and the Italian Renaissance.”

A timeless subject

Concerning Leonardo da Vinci’s evergreen appeal and why people are still interested in him after all this time, Kirk says:

“He influenced so many different areas that are still relevant today. He was coming up with concepts and ideas 500 years ago that probably took another 300 or 400 years to become a reality. So, he’s portrayed as a visionary, and he is a global icon in that respect.”

There’s also a curiosity around Da Vinci as an individual, an element of mystery and intrigue which adds to this fascination, he adds:

“When we look at the Codex pages that exist, they believe that this is just a fraction of what he produced. So, people are intrigued as to what else he was thinking about. It’s one of those subject matters that we know has global mass appeal. It always has done and he’s relevant in any walk of life and society; he touches on science, technology, engineering, arts and so much more.

“There really is something for everyone in an exhibition on Leonardo.”

Leonardo da Vinci – 500 Years of Genius on tour

Leonardo da Vinci – 500 Years of Genius will debut this March at THE LUME Melbourne, Grande Experiences’ permanent digital gallery. It will then embark on a global tour.

“Bringing the Codex Atlanticus to Melbourne is a fantastic opportunity for us,” says Kirk. “People will have this rare chance to get up close and personal with them and see Leonardo’s ideas on display. This is going to be hugely inspiring and rewarding to share with the public.”

THE LUME is a 3000 square metre digital gallery, serving as an ideal launchpad for Grande’s productions before they go on to tour other venues around the world. 

“Everything that we do has the ability to both be put on display at THE LUME and then be offered as a touring version. From a touring perspective, we’ve created an experience that is presented across 15 key theme areas. We’ve always approached our exhibitions in a modular way because each location and venue that we go to is very different from the next.

“This means we can tailor the experience to suit the venue and also potentially the approach that the local host wants to take. For example, they may want to focus on certain machine inventions. They may want to have a greater emphasis on the Mona Lisa Revealed component. Or, they may want to have a larger immersive gallery.”

Something for everyone

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the exhibition is its ability to transcend time and space, bridging the gap between the past and the present. As visitors immerse themselves in Da Vinci’s world, they are reminded of the enduring power of human creativity and innovation. In an age of rapid technological advancement, Da Vinci’s legacy serves as a timeless reminder of the boundless potential of the human mind.

“We find that with our Leonardo da Vinci exhibition, there is something to engage every visitor, no matter what age, no matter what background or education level,” says Kirk. “The way that an exhibition is presented ensures that everyone can have an important take home.

“One of the big ‘wow’ moments that people have when they visit the exhibition is that Leonardo’s most well-known for the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper , but what they don’t realise is everything else that he was involved with and he had an influence on, from the first concepts and ideas for the car and the tank to early flying machines.

“People come away and say, ‘I had no idea that he had such an influence on a lot of things that we just take for granted these days.’ It all just came from one individual, which is quite spectacular.

As the exhibition tours cities around the world, it will continue to inspire and educate audiences, sparking conversations and igniting passions. Through the fusion of art , science, and technology, it invites visitors on a journey of discovery, inviting them to explore the wonders of the Renaissance and the brilliance of one of history’s greatest minds.

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Charlotte Coates

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Museo Leonardo Da Vinci Experience

Museo Leonardo Da Vinci Experience Tickets & Shop

Leonardo Da Vinci Experience Museum

Leonardo Da Vinci Museum entrance

€ 10,00 – € 12,00

Located in Via della Conciliazione 19, Roma a few steps from the Vatican. Leonardo Da Vinci Museum Experience is happy to welcome you.

  • A free gift: A free gift. At the end of the visit tour staff will give you a free gadget
  • FREE entrance to children under the age of 6.
  • Opening hours: The Museum is open every day from 9.00 am till 7.30 pm (last entrance at 6.30pm)
  • More than 50 inventions of Leonardo da Vinci
  • Certified paintings: We are the only museum with certified copies of Leonardo’s paintings. They were made using identical Renaissance technique.
  • Download our audio guide: Thanks to the collaboration with Pop Guide, you can listen to our audio guide directly from your smartphone. You only have to download “Pop Guide” app from your app store. Available for both iPhone and Android.

After payment of the order you will receive a confirmation email valid as an entrance ticket to the museum. Print it or save it on your smartphone and show it at our ticket office .

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Da Vinci — The Renaissance Man

The inventor. the scientist. the artist..

The illegitimate son of a 25-year-old notary, Ser Piero, and a peasant girl, Caterina, Leonardo was born on April 15, 1452, in Vinci, Italy, just outside Florence. His father took custody of him shortly after his birth.

Growing up in his father's Vinci home, Leonardo had access to scholarly texts owned by family and friends. He was also exposed to Vinci's longstanding painting tradition, and when he was about 15 his father apprenticed him to the renowned workshop of Andrea del Verrochio in Florence. Even as an apprentice, Leonardo demonstrated his great talent. Indeed, his genius seems to appear in a number of pieces produced by the Verrocchio's workshop from the period 1470 to 1475. For example, one of Leonardo's first big breaks was to paint an angel in Verrochio's "Baptism of Christ," and Leonardo was so much better than his master's that Verrochio allegedly resolved never to paint again. Leonardo stayed in the Verrocchio workshop until 1477.

Seeking to make a living, and new challenges, he entered the service of the Duke of Milan in 1482, abandoning his first commission in Florence, "The Adoration of the Magi". He spent 17 years in Milan, leaving only after Duke Ludovico Sforza's fall from power in 1499. It was during these years that Leonardo reached new heights of scientific and artistic achievement.

The Duke kept Leonardo busy painting and sculpting and designing elaborate court festivals, but he also had Leonardo design weapons, buildings, and machinery. From 1485 to 1490, Leonardo produced studies on many subjects, including nature, flying machines, geometry, mechanics, municipal construction, canals and architecture (designing everything from churches to fortresses). His studies from this period contain designs for advanced weapons, including a tank and other war vehicles, various combat devices, and even submarines. Also during this period, Leonardo produced his first anatomical studies. His Milan workshop was abuzz with apprentices and students.

Unfortunately, Leonardo's interests were so broad, and he was so often compelled by new subjects, that he usually left projects unfinished. As a result, he only completing about six works in these 17 years, including "The Last Supper" and "The Virgin on the Rocks," leaving dozens of paintings and projects unfinished or unrealized (see "Big Horse" in sidebar). He spent most of his time studying science, either by going out into nature and observing things or by locking himself away in his workshop cutting up bodies or pondering universal truths.

Between 1490 and 1495 he developed his habit of recording his studies in meticulously illustrated notebooks. His work covered four main themes: painting, architecture, the elements of mechanics, and human anatomy. These studies and sketches were collected into various codices and manuscripts, which are now collected by museums and individuals (Bill Gates once paid $30 million for the Codex Leicester!).

Back to Milan — after Ludovico Sforza's fall from power in 1499 — Leonardo searched for a new patron. Over the next 16 years, Leonardo worked and traveled throughout Italy for a number of employers, including the infamous Cesare Borgia. He traveled for a year with Borgia's army as a military engineer and even met Niccolo Machiavelli, author of "The Prince." Leonardo designed a bridge to span the "golden horn" in Constantinople during this period and received a commission, with the help of Machiavelli, to paint the "Battle of Anghiari."

About 1503, Leonardo reportedly began work on the "Mona Lisa." From 1513 to 1516, he worked in Rome, maintaining a workshop and undertaking a variety of projects for the Pope. He continued his studies of human anatomy and physiology, but the Pope forbade him from dissecting cadavers, limiting his progress.

Following the death of his patron Giuliano de' Medici in March of 1516, he was offered the title of Premier Painter and Engineer and Architect of the King by Francis I in France. His last and perhaps most generous patron, Francis I provided Leonardo with a stipend and manor house near the royal chateau at Amboise.

Although suffering from a paralysis of the right hand, Leonardo (who wrote with his left-handed) was still able to draw and teach. He produced studies for the Virgin Mary from "The Virgin and Child with St. Anne", studies of cats, horses, dragons, St. George, anatomical studies, studies on the nature of water, drawings of the Deluge, and of various machines.

Leonardo died on May 2, 1519 in Cloux, France. Legend has it that King Francis was at his side when he died, cradling Leonardo's head in his arms.

Discover Leonardo da Vinci and his followers

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  1. Welcome to the Château du Clos Lucé

    Le Château du Clos Lucé - Parc Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo da Vinci's residence. 2, rue du Clos Lucé. 37400 Amboise. Val de Loire. France. Tél. : +33 (0) 2 47 57 00 73. Open all the year round, every day, except 25th December and 1st January. January: 10.00 am to 6.00 pm.

  2. Le Château du Clos Luce

    At his residence 300 metres from the Château Royal, he drew up plans for a model château for Francis I in Romorantin and designed the double-helix open staircase in the Château de Chambord.The Château du Clos Lucé is dedicated to showing and explaining to the public the great knowledge acquired by the Italian Maestro. Duration: 2-3 hours.

  3. Leonardo da Vinci at Château du Clos Lucé: 500 ...

    A visit to the Loire Valley is not complete without seeing Leonardo da Vinci's inventions at Château du Clos Lucé, especially in 2019. May 2, 2019, is the 500th anniversary of da Vinci's death in Amboise. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)

  4. Visit Clos Lucé

    Leonardo da Vinci accepted an invitation from French King Francois I (1494-1547, crowned 1515) to live and work in France. From 1516 to 1519, Da Vinci lived in Château du Cloux (now Clos Lucé) close to the royal castle of Amboise in the Loire Valley.

  5. Visits and attractions

    Guided tour (only in French) Book a tour with our guide and take a historic walk in the Clos Lucé. A chance to learn more about the history of Leonardo da Vinci who lived here, and to discover his last projects for the King Francis I. - Duration: 60 min - Tour times (2024) : January and February: 11.30am, 2.30pm, 4pm

  6. Le Château du Clos Luce

    Sept 2023 • Couples. The Chateau Clos Luce is where Leonardo da Vinci spent his final years thanks to the patronage of Francois 1 of France. This delightful place with its lovely garden setting is full of models and Da Vinci's inventions; if you are of a mechanical mind this is a "must".

  7. Explore France's Loire Valley in the Footsteps of Leonardo da Vinci

    The king was so impressed that in 1516, he invited Leonardo to come live on the property of his castle in the Loire Valley, where the polymath spent the last three years leading up to his death on ...

  8. Leonardo da Vinci Museum

    Boat propellers. Leonardo's Horse (also known as Gran Cavallo) is a sculpture that was commissioned of Leonardo da Vinci in 1482 by Duke of Milan Ludovico il Moro, but not completed. It was intended to be the largest equestrian statue in the world, a monument to the duke's father Francesco.

  9. The Leonardo da Vinci Museum in Florence

    Leonardo da Vinci is without a doubt one of the most famous Tuscan and Italian historical figures of all time.Having lived between 1452 and 1519, he continues to be the symbol of the Renaissance and its rebirth, with his attention dedicated to the arts including painting, sculpture, architecture, music, design and choreography for plays (which he loved).

  10. Leonardo da Vinci

    The Leonardo da Vinci exhibition is held under the high patronage of French President Emmanuel Macron. The year 2019 marks the 500-year anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci in France, of particular importance for the Louvre, which holds the largest collection in the world of da Vinci's paintings, as well as 22 drawings.

  11. Leonardo Interactive Museum Florence Official Site

    Leonardo Interactive Museum is an interactive museum in Florence dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci. It exhibits machines and mechanisms that actually work, designed by the Universal Genius in his famous Codices. Dedicated to Leonardo's mechanics, when you visit it you can operate the Giant Tank, the Catapult, the Worm Screw, the Vertical Ornithopter, the Hydraulic Saw, the Printing Machine and ...

  12. Leonardo3 Museum

    Milan (Italy) tel: +39.02.495.199.81. Opening Times. weekdays: 9:30 am-8:00 pm. weekends & holidays: 9:30 am-9:00 pm. Welcome to the innovative entirely devoted to Leonardo da Vinci. An interactive journey through working models of his machines and digital restoration of his paintings. Passionate about the work of the Genius, our is constantly ...

  13. Leonardo da Vinci Museum Private Tour in Florence's Old Town

    The main highlight of this tour will be a visit inside the Leonardo da Vinci Museum, the largest hands-on da Vinci exhibition. We provide skip-the-line tickets to the largest hands-on da Vinci exhibition to save you time. Both adults and children can learn through play with the working reproductions of da Vinci's greatest innovations.

  14. All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

    The museo Leonardiano in Vinci offers one of the broadest and most original collections of machines and models devoted to Leonardo the engineer, the architect and the scientist,and to the history of the renaissance technology in general. Ticket office closes Ticket office closes 45 minutes before the Museum. Duration: 1-2 hours.

  15. Louvre Museum Official Website

    Welcome to the Louvre. There are plenty of good reasons to visit the Louvre! So many works of art to discover in this fabulous museum that used to be a palace! So plan your visit in advance to make the most of it. Why not pick one of our visitor trails to follow a theme-based tour?

  16. Tickets

    Leonardo Da Vinci Museum Experience is happy to welcome you. The entrance ticket includes: A free gift: A free gift. At the end of the visit tour staff will give you a free gadget. FREE entrance to children under the age of 6. Opening hours: The Museum is open every day from 9.00 am till 7.30 pm (last entrance at 6.30pm)

  17. Museum entrance tickets

    Online price €12.90. We currently organize guided tours only in Italian language and exclusively on Saturdays and Sundays, with few places available. The fee, per person, applies from the age of 3 and includes the museum entrance fee and the guided tour in a small group. Guided tours must be booked and purchased by clicking here, without ...

  18. Museo Leonardo Da Vinci Experience

    Experience the Genius. Finally in Rome the Leonardo Da Vinci permanent museum with more than 50 working inventions. Perfect for families, free for infants and reduced price for Childs and students, just a few steps from the Vatican. Also now available on our online shop all our souvenirs, paintings and much more.

  19. Florence-Italy Tour

    1 hr tour through Leonardo's machines. Tickets included! Leonardo's interactive museum on Via del Castellaccio in Florence houses many wooden machines that were made based on the drawings of the great Renaissance genius. The museum has 3 different floors. On the ground floor you can see some of the most amazing inventions, including the famous ...

  20. Leonardo da Vinci

    The latest touring exhibition from Grande Experiences, a leading global arts and culture immersive experience company, is dedicated to the life and works of Leonardo da Vinci.Blending digital technology with physical artefacts to create a captivating experience and transcend the boundaries of traditional museums, the new show seeks to engage visitors on multiple sensory levels while providing ...

  21. Leonardo Da Vinci Museum Private Tour In Florence's Old Town

    When booking a private tour of the Leonardo da Vinci Museum in Florence's Old Town, travelers can choose from a range of options starting at $189.79 per person. Private tours offer a personalized experience, allowing visitors to explore the world of da Vinci at their own pace.

  22. Leonardo Da Vinci Museum entrance

    Leonardo Da Vinci Museum Experience is happy to welcome you. The entrance ticket includes: A free gift: A free gift. At the end of the visit tour staff will give you a free gadget. FREE entrance to children under the age of 6. Opening hours: The Museum is open every day from 9.00 am till 7.30 pm (last entrance at 6.30pm)

  23. Biography

    The illegitimate son of a 25-year-old notary, Ser Piero, and a peasant girl, Caterina, Leonardo was born on April 15, 1452, in Vinci, Italy, just outside Florence. His father took custody of him shortly after his birth. Growing up in his father's Vinci home, Leonardo had access to scholarly texts owned by family and friends.

  24. Discover Leonardo da Vinci and his followers

    ⭐ Immerse yourself in the awe-inspiring world of Leonardo da Vinci at Discover Leonardo da Vinci and his followers ... a masterpiece once owned by the King of France, alongside captivating paintings like the discarded Magdalene and the renowned Lucan Portrait. ... Griffins, Goblets and Gold: A Magical Arts Tour in the Metropolitan Museum of ...