Few dwellings of great historical figures have as much to offer us as what we find in the house where Leonardo was born: here the Genius from Vinci is brought back to life through multimedia installations that guide us through a discovery of his life and works.
Vinci, Leonardo’s Birthplace
Amid the ancient olive groves of Montalbano, in a landscape that has remained nearly unchanged over time, the house where Leonardo – the lovechild of Ser Piero da Vinci and Caterina – was born on April 15, 1452, is an authentic cultural pilgrimage destination, visited every year by scores of travelers keen to discover the Genius’ origins.
Leonardo’s Birthplace in Anchiano is, in fact, the place to discover the most personal, private aspects of the life of the Genius, who comes to life to tell his story here thanks to technology: a life-sized hologram gives a voice to an elderly, tired Leonardo who, from his final home in Amboise in France, looks back on his past, virtually returning to Anchiano to tell us about the people he knew, the things he studied, and the events that tied him to this land.
Divided between the actual house of Leonardo’s birth, with its three different spaces, and the adjacent farmhouse, the exhibition lets visitors discover the places and settings that first inspired Leonardo.
Works by great masters, multimedia reconstructions with voices and stories from the territory and the communities it hosts, archaeological finds and historical arts and crafts: every museum in the area offers great little stories to discover.
Memories
Leonardo in Vinci. A Genius tells his story
A fascinating multimedia narration of about 20 minutes, interweaving video, theater and documentary, in which a now-elderly Leonardo, in the form of a life-sized hologram, talks about the most important events in his life, particularly his ties to his native land.
Memories
Leonardo Touch
L’ applicazione multimediale interattiva Leonardo Touch presenta l’opera pittorica e grafica del Vinciano.
The interactive multimedia application Leonardo Touch presents the artist’s paintings and drawings. A touch screen lets visitors discover some of Leonardo’s greatest masterpieces and learn more about his work, following several thematic pathways to interact with drawings and paintings, exploring every detail.
Using tools like a ruler and a catalogue of comparisons and preparatory studies, the exploration of
Leonardo’s work becomes a first-rate educational experience.
Memories
Leonardo’s last journey
The model donated to the museum by the Italian Embassy in Paris reproduces the itinerary of Leonardo’s 1516 journey from Rome to his last home, Chateau du Clos Lucè in Amboise, France.
Detailed research curated by the Louvre on maps from the period allowed a very accurate reconstruction of the stages of the journey Leonardo made, of which he left no account.
Memories
Leonardo’s Landscape 8P, Montalbano and the Valdinievole
The projection, located in the building next to the House that hosts the ticket office, is dedicated to the Landscape, inv. 8 P, from the Department of Prints and Drawings of the Uffizi Galleries. Dated 1473, it is the earliest known drawing by the young Leonardo and already reveals the scientific and artistic attention to the study of nature and its phenomena that would characterize his entire production. Images and digital reconstructions connect the drawing with the territories of Montalbano and the Valdinievole, places the artist frequented from childhood, highlighting suggestions and possible correspondences with the real landscape, in a continuous dialogue between direct observation and graphic invention.
Perched on the slope of Montalbano, Vinci is a well-preserved medieval town known the world over as the birthplace of the great Genius.
Set in verdant countryside amid vineyards and olive groves that provide excellent wine and exceptional olive oil, Vinci lies on the slopes of Montalbano, and enchanting hill between the provinces of Florence and Pistoia, in the heart of Tuscany just a short distance from the region’s major art cities.
Here, in a locality called Anchiano, Leonardo was born on April 15, 1452 and his universally-acknowledged genius is closely associated with the town’s most evocative places, including the Leonardian Museum, which displays the world’s oldest collection dedicated to his scientific activities, and the Leonardian Library, which conserves facsimile reproductions of all of his manuscripts, as well as all of the printed editions of his works.
PLAN YOUR VISIT
IN ONE OF OUR 21 MUSEUMS
find your museum
Leonardo’s Birthplace
(Casa natale di Leonardo)
Via di Anchiano, Loc. Anchiano
50059 – Vinci (Firenze)
tel. +39 0571 933248
e-mail: info@museoleonardiano.it
sito: www.museoleonardiano.it
summer season
(from April 1 to November 1)
every day
9.30 am – 7 pm
winter season
(from November 2 to March 31)
weekdays
9.30 am – 4.30 pm
Saturday, Sunday and public holidays
9.30 am – 5 pm
closed on Tuesdays from November 2 to February 28
The immersive experience with oculus is only available on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays
Leonardo’s birthplace ticket
(including the educational exhibition section “Leonardo and his paintings”)
Regular: € 7.00
Reduced: € 5.00
Combined ticket
(including Leonardo Museum)
Full price: € 14.00
Reduced: € 11.00
reduced tickets for:
Groups over 15 people, kids between 6 and 18, adults over 67, university students up to the age of 25 with ID card, National Civil Service Volunteers
free entrance for:
Children under 6, disabled persons and their accompanying, tour guides and tour leaders with groups, residents in the Municipality of Vinci, licensed tour guides, accredited journalists with a membership card registered at the Museum Offices, disabled people on group visits organised by communities or care associations, tour operators visiting the museum for educational tours, institutional delegation guests of the Unione dei Comuni Empolese Valdelsa.
Booking and further information are available HERE.
MuDEV (Multi-site Museum of Empoli and Valdelsa)
operational headquarters
c/o Management Offices of the Leonardo Museum
Via della Torre 6, 50059 Vinci (Florence)
tel: +39 0571 933249
info@mu-dev.it
Tourist area Empolese Valdelsa and Montalbano
Piazza della Vittoria, 54
50053 – Empoli (FI)
tel: +39 0571 933284
info@toscananelcuore.it
