In Search Of Da Vinci...in Florence & Rome

Hope you don't mind me adding Milan. In addition to the Last Supper, the Pinacoteca Ambrsiana, an art museum a few blocks from the Duomo, has a Leonardo room with a portrait of a musician by Leonardo, work influenced by him, and an extensive library display of his notes and sketches.

I dont know how it stacks up to other DaVinci sights, but we enjoyed seeing the museum at Clos de Luce in Amboise, where his grave is as well.

We also really enjoyed Clos Luce in Amboise. My nephews and my husband really liked the Da Vinci museum in Florence with it's interactive displays of Da Vinci's various inventions.

The Da Vinci room at the Uffizi was one of my favorites with the unfinished "Adoration of the Magi" as I learned a lot about his painting process.
https://www.uffizi.it/en/news/the-new-room-of-leonardo-da-vinci

Fortune is a River by Roger Masters is another book I think you would find fascinating if you are interested in Da Vinci and seeing the Florence area through his life.

I love Ken Burns’ documentaries and am looking forward to this. I wonder if it will address or maybe resolve the controversy surrounding attribution of the sculpture “Virgin and the Laughing Child”.

https://www.npr.org/2019/03/09/701890033/mystery-sculpture-thought-to-be-the-work-of-leonardo-da-vinci-is-unveiled-in-ita

https://observer.com/2019/03/does-palazzo-strozzi-museum-really-possess-leonardo-da-vincis-only-surviving-sculpture/#:~:text=The%20Palazzo%20Strozzi%20museum%20in,long%2Dmisattributed%20da%20Vinci%20masterpiece.

I am putting this sculpture, now housed at the Victoria and Albert museum in London, on our list of things to see when we are in London next June.

And next time we are near Milan, I would like to visit the famed “Leonardo’s Horse” sculpture that was created from the drawings the master made for his project, commissioned by the Duke of Milan (but never completed).

Interesting stories about this and the role of an American art enthusiast:

https://www.davincisciencecenter.org/mission-and-history/leonardo-and-the-horse/the-full-story-of-leonardos-horse/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo%27s_horse

https://www.restless-viking.com/2021/03/14/leonardos-horse/

If you are in Florence you are not far from Vinci, his birth town. There is a museum there with displays and models of many of his inventions. Unfortunately to get to Vinci, unless you have a car, it's a bit convoluted. You'd need to take the train to Empoli (on the Florence-Pisa railway) then from Empoli, you need to get on a bus (no. 49).

If you're exploring Da Vinci-related sites in Italy, a great addition to your itinerary would be Vinci, a small town near Florence and the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci himself. The Museo Leonardiano there offers fascinating exhibits on his inventions, along with models of his designs, and is located in the beautiful medieval Castello dei Conti Guidi. It’s an immersive experience that gives insight into Leonardo's genius beyond his paintings.

For more information about Vinci, check this page: https://tuscany.tips/vinci/

Enjoy your travels; it sounds like a fantastic journey through art and history!

Barbara

Roberto & Barbara--

Although I know I'd love Vinci, probably won't have time this time. And a day tour with a driver to Vinci is exorbitant, upwards of 400-500 Euro--I'd like to, but not that much! I'm sure I'll be happy with his room at Uffizi, and maybe some little nuggets around town I can glean from Isaacson's book and Burns' documentary. I've kind of done this in Rome with Michelangelo, and it was really fun to wander...and find off the beaten path stuff.

I'll make a little journal of my findings, and report back.