Casa Natale di Leonardo da Vinci

The Birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci is a farmhouse at Anchiano, outside Vinci. The two-storey building preserves the rural setting associated with Leonardo's birth on 15 April 1452 and presents the history of his connection to the landscape.

Why it matters

The farmhouse is documented by 1427 and remained connected with the da Vinci family for more than a century. It offers a setting for understanding Leonardo's early life and the countryside that shaped his knowledge of the natural world.

What to notice

The house's three rooms retain the modest character of a rural dwelling. An adjoining farmhouse expands the exhibition. A life-size audiovisual figure of Leonardo recounts his life in relation to the area, and displays include a model of his journey to France and material on the Battle of Anghiari. An installation also presents his 1473 landscape drawing, known as Landscape 8P.

Context and history

Leonardo was born in Anchiano to Ser Piero da Vinci and Caterina. The municipality received the house from the Counts Rasini da Castelcampo in 1950; it was inaugurated as a memorial site in 1952 in the presence of President Luigi Einaudi and Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi. The exhibition forms part of the Museo Leonardiano system in Vinci.