Rendez-vous in the Gardens

3 and 4 June 2023

Nature Walk
David Nabon, head gardener at Clos Lucé, and tour guide, Élise Petit, will immerse you in the multi-century history of the gardens, from their creation to their current management. Admire the remarkable trees and plants, as well as Leonardo da Vinci's inventions reproduced in life size.

• 11.15am and 2.45pm
• Visit included in the entrance ticket

Olfactory Visit

You are invited to discover the olfactory power of the park's plants and their use in modern perfumery, in an immersive tour, custom-designed by the AB 1882 perfume house. Leonardo da Vinci's talent in this field is also showcased, with a presentation of the plants and flowers he loved.

• 11.45am and 3pm
• 3€ in addition to the entrance ticket (payment on site)

Musical Encounters

Echoing the 2023 theme "Music of the Garden", the Diabolus in Musica ensemble presents musical interludes in the heart of the grounds of Clos Lucé. The ensemble will perform songs from the 15 ^th and 16^th centuries, extolling the virtues of courtly love against a backdrop of rustic themes. During the Renaissance, the garden became an intimate space where love could blossom away from prying eyes.

• 12pm, 2pm and 4pm.
• Free access to concert in the grounds

To book tickets, click here

Theatrical Evenings (only in French)

13, 15 and 16 July 2023

As night falls, Clos Lucé transforms into an enchanting setting for Hamlet, one of William Shakespeare's most famous plays. It has been adapted by the director Didier Girauldon, Director of the Dramatic Arts Department at the Conservatoire d’Orléans. The performance gives pride of place to music and dance.

In a kingdom where nothing is quite as it should be, where betrayal and lust dominate, feigning madness seems to be the only defence against the inevitable breakdown of society. Ghostly figures and obsessions take shape, interpreted by a dozen professional actors and talented final-year students from the Orléans Conservatory.

Under a starry night sky, in front of the illuminated castle, you will shudder, laugh and be gripped by this cruel and romantic tale!

• Tiered seating on the castle forecourt, beginning at 9.30pm
• Prices: adults 20 €, ‘Ambassadeur’ card holders 16€, children (7-18 years old) 12 €, free for < 7 years old
• Access online ticketing by clicking here

Evening Strolls

11 and 12 August 2023, 4th year

The Château du Clos Lucé and its grounds will be transformed by candle light, perfect for a stroll and to enjoy the featured live performances. Experience an enchanted evening in homage to the famous celebrations organised by Leonardo da Vinci for Francis I!

"Tentative Approaches to a Point of Suspension"
Yoann Bourgeois, a multidisciplinary artist who works in the fields of dance, theatre, music, art installation and audiovisual, presents three acts. On a stage turning faster and faster, solo or as a duo, the artists fight against the centrifugal force. The life of the couple is played out on the stage spinning round and round. With his wife, Marie, Yoann Bourgeois defies gravity and the forces induced by the movement of the body that Leonardo had studied so passionately in his work on anatomy. A moment of grace, suspended in time.

Performance "Fiers à cheval” (Proud on Horseback)
Conceived by the Compagnie des Quidams, this show plunges you into a dreamlike atmosphere where the characters are transformed into luminous horses. Fashioned from inflatable materials over 3.5m high, these horses are set in motion by daring puppeteers in fairy-tale costumes. A ringmaster and storyteller leads them in a series of choreographed scenes. A waltz, a tango, a merry-go-round, a joust... A fantastic ride that would have delighted Leonardo, who was passionate about horses.

• Prices: adults 18 €, ‘Ambassadeur’ card holders 14,40€, children (7-18 years old) 6 €, free < 7 years old
• Access online ticketing by clicking here (also on sale: combined "daytime visit + evening stroll" tickets)

European Renaissance Music Festival

22, 23 et 24 September 2023 - 18th festival

The not-to-be-missed early music event of the Centre-Val de Loire region. The three concerts that make up the latest programme will be given on the large stage in the Halle muséographique, located in the grounds of the castle. The 18 ^th festival is showcasing the music of the Iberian Peninsula and its influences on Latin American music.

Friday, 22 September: Il Festino ensemble, 8.30pm

To open the festival, the Il Festino ensemble, conducted by Chilean lutenist Manuel de Grange, will present a variety of musical styles present in 16th-century Spain. At that time, Spain experienced a boom in instrumental music, especially for organ and vihuela, an instrument of Aragonese origin, similar to the lute. Vocal works in Castilian, villancicos, developed and contrasted the simplicity of their vocal line with the complexity and virtuosity of the instrumental accompaniment.

Saturday, 23 September: Il Ballo ensemble, 8.30pm

Your journey continues on Saturday evening with the Il Ballo ensemble conducted by Leonardo Loredo de Sá. You will first be immersed in 16th century Portugal, in the Spain of the composer José Marin, before being transported to America: from Mexico to Peru, through 17th century Bolivia and on to north-east Brazil.

Sunday, 24 September: Ensemble Vocal de Nantes, 3.30pm

To close the festival, around forty singers and musicians from the Ensemble Vocal de Nantes, conducted by Gilles Ragon, and the Argentinean ensemble La Chimera, conducted by Eduardo Eguez, will introduce you to pre-Columbian Inca music and the colonial music of the Viceroyalty of Peru. Works derived from European music for madrigalists and choirs, with familiar instruments - viola da gamba, Spanish harp, lute... - alternate with tunes from exotic indigenous wind or percussion instruments, such as zampoña, quena and tarka flutes, charangos and bombo drums.

• Prices : adults and children (7-18 years old) 15€, ‘Ambassadeur’ card holders 12€, free < 7 years old
• Access online ticketing by clicking here

Leonardo da Vinci, Painter and Architect Galleries

Since June 2021

LEONARDO DA VINCI PAINTER GALLERY

The 17 masterpieces produced by Leonardo da Vinci will be projected onto the walls and ceiling of the ground floor gallery thanks to digital technologies. Along with the preparatory drawings on show, they create an original and spectacular exhibition that visitors can engage directly with. This imaginary museum presents treasures from the Louvre in Paris, the Uffizi in Florence, the Vatican Museums, the National Gallery in London, the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, the National Museum in Kraków, the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg and the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. and immerses visitors into the Tuscan master’s painted works.

Faces, smiles and hands, perspective, the Last Supper, the blue horizons of the landscapes on his canvases all intertwine in this fascinating and lyrical circular journey through his artistic creativity.

LEONARDO DA VINCI ARCHITECT GALLERY

This exhibition offers a fun and educational tour of the achievements of Leonardo da Vinci the civil, religious and military architect, town planner and talented stage director of spectacular festivities. Facsimiles, drawings, life-size models, digital tables and 3D animation bring these disciplines to life.

In the multimedia room on the first floor, come and explore a 3D reconstruction of the Royal Palace of Romorantin designed by Leonardo da Vinci for King Francis I, through a video game created specially for the exhibition.

Where: in Leonardo da Vinci's park
Price: included with your admission ticket

To whet your appetite, watch our podcast and visit galleries from your own home! (in French).

Leonardo da Vinci and France

Le Château du Clos Lucé, the link between Italian and French Renaissance

Drawing on new scientific contributions, this exhibition throws light on the fascinating relationships between Leonardo da Vinci and three Kings of France over a 10-year period.

Guided through a series of richly illustrated themed exhibits — from royal commissions and feats of engineering to sumptuous festivities and final drawings, visitors will discover a multitude of projects built or conceived by the Italian master during his time spent living at Clos Lucé in Amboise.

• Halle Muséographique (In Leonardo da Vinci's park) : 10am - 6pm
• This exhibition has an additional charge to the general admission : 5€ adult / 3€ concessions (job seeker, large family...) / 1€ children (7-18 years old) and student / Free under 7 years old
• Tickets for a self-guided visit of the castle, the park, Leonardo da Vinci painter and architect galleries including Leonardo da Vinci and France exhibition are available here

The exhibition will be exceptionally closed during these periods:

• From April 20 to May 3, 2023
• From May 15, 2023