Leonardo 500

The year 2019 marks the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death. Milan and Lombardy will dedicate a whole year to the Maestro.

BIRTH
15/04/1452 – Vinci
DEATH
02/05/1519 – Amboise
1st MILANESE PERIOD
1482 - 1499
2nd MILANESE PERIOD
1503 - 1508
THE LAST SUPPER
460 X 880 cm
CODEX ATLANTICUS
1,119 autographed sheets

Tracing the itineraries of his travels to discover the secrets of the winds and waters is a fascinating adventure that offers the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of Lombardy, the backdrop of several works by Leonardo da Vinci.

Milan was the site of his most productive years as both an artist and a universal genius. He spent almost 18 years, from 1482 to 1499, at the Court of Ludovico Sforza “The Moor”, and then, after travelling round Italy for six and a half years (from 1503 to 1508) he stayed at the Court of Charles II d’Amboise, Governor of the Duchy of Milan during the first French dominion. During those years, he wrote most of his manuscripts and produced his internationally renowned masterpiece, The Last Supper.

During his years in Milan, in addition to the famous painting in the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, he also painted the Virgin of the Rocks, Portrait of a Musician, Lady with an Ermine, Belle Ferronière, Madonna Litta, and started the Mona Lisa. At the same time, he designed and implemented hydraulic engineering works that are still in use after five centuries, such as the Mitre Lock Gates (known as the Porte Vincinane) first installed at Conca dell’Incoronata, Milan, in 1496.

In his notes and the associated drawings, Leonardo also left traces of his travels in Lombardy, not only along the Martesana canal and in the Lomellina area, but also in Pavia, Valchiavenna and Valsassina, along the Naviglio Grande up to Tornavento, on the Orobian Pre-Alps and at Lake Como.

Read moreClose
  1. Experiences in Lombardy
  2. Leonardo 500

Experiences

Show all

Leonardo in Lombardy: 8 itineraries to discover the places of Vinci

Eight itineraries in the Lombard capital to discover the genius of the Renaissance
  • Art & Culture
Leonardo da Vinci

A day at the National Museum Leonardo da Vinci

One of the largest science and technology museums in Europe
  • Art & Culture
Museo della Scienza

Milan, following Leonardo’s footsteps

Pictorial suggestions and drawings. Machines and impressive hydraulic engineering works. In Milan, a journey in the wake of Leonardo
  • Art & Culture
Milan, following Leonardo’s footsteps

Visit the interactive exhibit Leonardo3. The World of Leonardo

Discover the works of Leonardo Da Vinci as you've never seen before
  • Art & Culture
Leonardo3. Il Mondo di Leonardo

A day in the life of Leonardo

Art and more: discover a world of intrigue and passions
  • Art & Culture
Castello Sforzesco

Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper and Codex Atlanticus

  • Leonardo
L'ultima Cena di Leonardo da Vinci e il Codice Atlantico

Places

Show all

Santa Maria delle Grazie

An impressive piece of architecture in the heart of Milan, inextricably linked to the fresco by Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper
  • Unesco Sites
Santa Maria delle Grazie, inspiring churches in Lombardy

Cathedral of Pavia

The most impressive church in Pavia to whose design Leonardo Da Vinci contributed
  • Religious Tourism
Cathedral of Pavia

Naviglio di Paderno

It was a product of the genius of Leonardo da Vinci who in the early 16th century was a guest of Count Melzi in Vaprio d'Adda.
  • Navigli
Naviglio di Paderno

Villa Melzi d'Eril

Villa Melzi is a residential villa belonging to the Melzi family that looks out onto the River Adda
  • Art & Culture
Villa Melzi D'Eril

The Sforzesca

A genuine prototype for subsequent rural Lombard architecture
  • Art & Culture
La Sforzesca

Ambrosian Picture Gallery

It houses the largest collection of Leonardo's sheets, the Codex Atlanticus, exhibited thanks to temporary thematic exhibitions
  • Art & Culture
Ambrosian Picture Gallery

Leonardo Adda Ecomuseum

Open-air museum along the Paderno Canal in which to rediscover the historical, artistic and naturalistic events of the territory
  • Art & Culture
Adda Leonardo Ecomuseum

Conca dell'Incoronata

It's located at the end of Via San Marco within the city’s Spanish walls after the “Tombun de San Marc”.
  • Art & Culture
Conca dell'Incoronata

Acquafraggia Waterfalls

The source of the Acquafraggia torrent is Pizzo di Lago at an altitude of 3,050 m asl
  • Active & Green
Cascate Acquafraggia

Tre Corni alla Rocchetta: Leonardo’s Landscape

  • Leonardo
Tre Corni alla Rocchetta

Visconti Castle

From the tower of the Castle the view of the river and of the surrounding territory is priceless, from the Pre-Alps to the plain
  • Art & Culture
Visconti castle

Troggia Waterfalls

Troggia is a torrent that flows out ofLake Sasso
  • Active & Green
Cascata della Troggia