Leonardo da Vinci, who died at Amboise in 1519, left instructions for his burial in the Chapel of St. Florentin, formerly in the castle, but now destroyed. In 1869 some bones were discovered on the site, and were deposited in St. Hubert’s Chapel in the belief that they were those of the painter, and a bust of the great Italian has been placed above the spot where the remains were unearthed. The interior of the castle has been so mutilated and destroyed that its interest centres very largely in the two great cylindrical towers, which contain spiral roadways paved with red brick, up which the Emperor Charles V. rode on horseback when he paid a visit to François I. in 1539. The ascent is so easy that to drive up in a carriage is no great feat, and an automobile can accomplish it with comparative ease. The year 1560 witnessed a terrible scene in the now peaceful and flower-scented courtyard of the castle. An abortive Huguenot conspiracy to capture the young King François II. and remove the government from the Guises met with a frightful retribution. A series of horrible executions and hangings were carried out in the presence of the Court, and Mary Stuart was forced to witness the spectacle by her fierce mother-in-law Catherine de Medici. The dead bodies were hung from the galleries. In 1872 the National Assembly gave back the castle to the Comte de Paris, and at the present time the Duc d’Orléans uses it as a _maison de retraite_ for old servants. The view from the ramparts over the blue river with its sandy banks is very beautiful. Down below are the old roofs of the town, standing where, at one time, the river washed the base of the castle rock. A picturesque _gateway_ in the town, with a pointed arch, a clock, and a lantern turret above its high-pitched roof, is passed through on the way to the fine cruciform _Church of St. Denis_. It is a Transitional building with a Romanesque north door, richly sculptured capitals, an interesting St. Sépulchre, and a massive central tower. The Hôtel de Ville near the bridge (built 1500-1505 by Pierre Morin, Treasurer of France) has been carefully over-restored, and can be entered without any charge beyond a small gratuity. Near by is the Church of St. Florentin, built by order of Louis XI. (1461-1483). To reach Tours from Amboise one only has to follow the road westward on either bank of the river, but by doing so one misses the fascinating castle of Chenonceaux, which lies a few miles to the south-east. The best road to take is the one going due south through the forest of Amboise towards Bléré, and at the first important cross-road (see map) one goes to the left parallel with the River Cher. Just before reaching the village of Chenonceaux a turning to the right leads across the railway to the entrance-gates of the château of CHENONCEAUX