France - Castles of the Loire reopen, also Leonardo's last home

France reopens and the Loire castles reopen: since Monday, the prefecture of the Indre-et-Loire region has authorized thirty of the most famous sites to resume business; these include the Château de Chenonceau. And in the region, hit hard by forced inactivity, hope returns.
    For two months, the owners of the famous castles and historic parks, destination for tourists from all over the world, had to keep their rooms closed, renouncing any proceeds. Hope only returned after Edouard Philippe's announcements last Thursday, when the prime minister postponed the possibility of reopening to the local prefect's decisions. The authorization to resume the activity arrived already yesterday evening for about thirty castles, including the real one of Amboise, with the last home of Leonardo da Vinci (the Clos-lucé, where it was celebrated last year the fifth centenary of the death of the Italian genius. The castle and gardens of Rivau, the royal fortress of Chinon and the castle with the gardens of Villandry will also reopen their doors. The news was communicated to the managers of the castles one by one, after those directly concerned had launched an appeal to President Emmanuel Macron on May 4 with a "health commitment" to comply with all measures to welcome the public in maximum safety. The month of May will be, for the Loire castles and many French historic sites, a month of transition, also because the region is located more than 100 km from the Ile-de-France region of Paris. And the rules for reopening provide that you can travel freely within 100 km of your sun icilio, at least until June 2nd. "We have organized circuits so that no tourist crosses others - explained to Le Figaro the director of the castle of Chaumont, which stands in a nearby department and is still awaiting authorization, Chantal Colleu-Dumont - our 30 gardens are ready and we can start again, even partially, from May 16th ".