Statue of Leonardo da Vinci in Piazza della Scala
On April 15, 1452 in a small Tuscan town called Vinci, not far from Florence a great master was born. His name was Leonardo. Happy Belated Birthday Leonardo! I started writing your birthday wishes on April 15th, but didn’t get a chance to finish them till now. Hope you won’t mind.
In 1482, Leonardo moved to Milan, where under the patronage of the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, he produced some of his best works, notably ‘The Last Supper’ (1498) and ‘Madonna and Child with St. Anne’ (1499). Although da Vinci spent 17 years in Milan, he managed to finish only six paintings during that period.
The Last Supper
A master painter, sculptor, architect, inventor and engineer, Leonardo da Vinci is the embodiment of a Renaissance man and one of the most renowned representatives of the 15th-Century Italian art scene.
Leonardo Da Vinci was trained to be a painter but his interests and achievements spread into a variety of fields such as anatomy, astronomy, botany, geology, geometry, and optics. Moreover, Da Vinci drew plans for over 100 inventions. It has been reported that Leonardo was sent to Milan as a sort of cultural ambassador by Lorenzo the Magnificent, but the Codex Atlanticus contains the draft of a résumé in which Leonardo summarizes his abilities and offers his services to the Milanese ruler. In any case, Leonardo settled here in 1482 and for the next seventeen years was an esteemed member of the circle of humanists and scientists associated with the court of Ludovico Sforza.
Before you arrive in Milan, be sure to make a reservation to see the Last Supper. Since only 20 people are allowed to enter at a time (for 15 minutes) you need to book ahead of time, or you will not get in to see this masterpiece. The Last Supper has always been a very popular tourist site, but as a result of Dan Brown’s theories in his famous “Da Vinci Code” it has become even more difficult to visit it.
When you visit Milan, don’t miss the Museum of Science and Technology, not far from the Last Supper, which has an entire section dedicated to the works of the great master and inventor including a series of fantastic wooden models of some of his inventions.
The Navigli of Milan are the artificial canals constructed between 1179, Naviglio Grande, and the 16th century, Naviglio Martesana, with the purpose of making Milan accessible from Ticino and Adda. The construction of the Naviglio Grande begun in 1179 and in 1209 the Naviglio arrived to Milan. Since the first day of the construction the best engineers undertook the project and even today it is possible to admire the innovative system of dams conceived by Leonardo da Vinci at the end of 15th Century.
The system of dams along the Naviglio Pavese
I wonder what Leonardo Da Vinci would say if he came back to Milan today for a visit. I think he would love it!
I think his favorites spots would be along the “Navigli” and in the artistic quarter of Brera.
