Painter, scientist, architect, and Renaissance man, Leonardo da Vinci left his mark throughout Italy in frescoes, buildings, drawings, and even prototypes and plans for many of the world’s technological landmarks.
While some of da Vinci’s masterpieces reside in museums outside of Italy, there are many examples of the master’s works in his native land. You can follow the «Sendero Leonardo» with this list of places in Italy where you can see his work. They are listed in alphabetical order by city name.
Leonardo da Vinci and Mona Lisa in Florence
There are places you can see today where the lives of da Vinci and Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo (believed to be the model of Mona Lisa) could have intersected.
Gherardini del Giocondo was a true Florentine woman, born and raised there. Centuries after his death, the painting, Mona Lisa, became the world’s most famous and recognizable work of Da Vinci.
As you wander through art-filled Florence, there are areas that are reminiscent of the time Da Vinci painted there and hired the young woman to be the subject of his painting.
Old Palace in Florencia
The legend of da Vinci’s massive painting “The Battle of Anghiari” lives in the Salone dei Cinquecento of the Palazzo Vecchio, although the painting is believed to be covered by a wall or other fresco. The location of the monumental painting, sometimes referred to as “The Lost Leonardo,” remains a mystery.
On the outside of the Palazzo Vecchio there is a keystone imprinted with the silhouette of a man’s face, believed to be Leonardo’s unofficial signature.
The Uffizi Gallery in Florence
The most important art museum in Italy, the Uffizi Gallery, has some of da Vinci’s works. The paintings include the “Annunciation”, “Adoration of the Magi” and a self-portrait. Da Vinci is also represented by a series of sketches and sub-drawings in the Uffizi Collection of Prints and Drawings.
Room 15 of the museum is dedicated to the paintings of Leonardo da Vinci and to artists who inspired (Andrea del Verrocchio) or admired (Luca Signorelli, Lorenzo di Credi and Pietro Perugino) his work.
«The Last Supper» in Milan
Along with the Mona Lisa, which is the prized possession of the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, “The Last Supper” is da Vinci’s most famous painting.
The Cenacolo Vinciano (or Last Supper) still resides in the refectory of the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, where da Vinci finished it in 1498.
The painting represents the scene of the Last Supper of Jesus with his apostles, as recounted in the Gospel of John. In the scene, Jesus has just discovered that one of his followers will betray him. It is one of the most recognizable paintings in the world.
The best museums in Milan
Beyond “The Last Supper”, Milan has several other Da Vinci originals. The Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology has original drawings by Da Vinci, as well as models based on the inventions of Renaissance man.
The Codex Atlanticus, one of Da Vinci’s notebooks filled with extensive observations and drawings, is housed in the Biblioteca Ambrosiana. Another Codex, the Codex Trivulzianus, a study of architecture and religion, is held at the Trivulziana Library at Castello Sforzesco.
Royal Library in Turin
Besides the two codices kept in Milan, the only other da Vinci codex (notebook) in Italy is found in Turin.
The Biblioteca Reale di Torino houses the Codex on the Flight of Birds, Leonardo’s analysis of the mechanics of flight, air resistance and currents.
In the codex, he proposes mechanisms for machine flight. Da Vinci built several of these machines and tried unsuccessfully to launch them from a hill near Florence.
Gallery of the Academy of Venice
Da Vinci’s famous “Vitruvian Man”, a study of the human form from an artistic and scientific perspective, is kept in the Galleria dell’Accademia, which is one of the best museums in Venice.
The museum gallery contains a collection of pre-19th century art in Venice. It is located in the Scuola della Carità, on the south bank of the Grand Canal.
Vinci, Tuscany
Leonardo da Vinci got his name from the city of Vinci, the small town just outside Florence where he was born in 1452.
Here you’ll find the Casa di Leonardo, the farm where the master was born, and the Museo Leonardiano, which is a science and technology museum dedicated to models based on the master’s prolific drawings. Vinci is small but rich in things to see, making it a nice day trip to the Tuscan countryside.
