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The Loire Valley is where the Kings and Queens of France chose to build the most beautiful castles in the world. Francis I became King of France in 1515. Shortly thereafter, he set out to Italy to win back the Duchy of Milan. In Milan he saw first hand the new architecture that was being constructed as the dawn of Renaissance Europe was getting underway. Francis returned to France and brought with him an aging Leonardo da Vinci. In 1519, Francis set out to build a magnificent castle befitting a king, one that would showcase a French Renaissance style by combining Italian Renaissance and French Medieval architectures with engineering marvels; the Chateau de Chambord. At the heart of Chambord is an Italian square keep with French medieval bastion towers at each corner. The center of the keep has a double spiral staircase, rumored to be designed by Leonardo da Vinci. The staircase is actually two spiral staircases wrapped around each other, allowing a person to ascend one staircase and another to descend the second staircase without ever passing each other. The floor plan divided the keep into 32 rooms of equal size, so in 1526 Francis added two wings to the castle, one to house larger royal apartments and one for the chapel. Francis died in 1547, the same year that construction on the central keep was completed. However other parts of the castle’s construction remain unfinished. Today, the Chateau de Chambord is a French National treasure and a major tourist attraction. This is the largest of the Loire Valley castles and contains 440 rooms, 84 staircases and 365 fireplaces whose chimneys help provide for the fascinating design of the castles rooftop.

Written by  Ron Lyons Jr..

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