Loire Valley to celebrate Leonardo

(ANSA) - Paris, December 12 - The Loire Valley is preparing to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci.
    From January to December 2019, for 12 months, over 500 cultural events have been scheduled, including exhibits, performances, concerts and debates in the Centre-Val de Loire region, the second most-visited in France, after Paris.
    It was in this green valley on the rivers of the Loire, a Unesco world heritage site, that the Renaissance master moved in 1516.
    The Tuscan artist was invited by King Francis I and took with him masterworks like the Mona Lisa and St John the Baptist, which are today part of the Louvre's collection.
    Leonardo died at the chateau du Clos-Lucé in Amboise on May 2, 1519, where he is buried.