Vinci Things to Do

Vinci, Anchiano 23 – 24 June 2012

Following extensive restoration work and reorganization of the exhibition layout, the house in Anchiano where Leonardo was born is reopening to the public, as the place which symbolizes the bonds Leonardo had with his home town.
Surrounded by the centuries-old olive trees of the Montalbano slopes, in a landscape almost untouched by time, the house where Leonardo was born on April 15 1452, the illegitimate son of Ser Piero da Vinci and one Caterina, is the destination of authentic cultural pilgrimages, undertaken by very large numbers of visitors each year, who are searching for the origins of the Genius.

As of June 23 2012, the house of da Vinci’s birth will be opened again, following major restoration works, overseen by Professor Daniela Lamberini of the Department of Architecture of Florence University. The works further enhance the evocative, rustic simplicity of the place, respecting its historical vale and rediscovering some panoramic views hitherto hidden to the visitor. But above all, the work on Leonardo’s house has produced a new museum display, curated by the management of the Leonardo Museum, which deploys the latest multimedia technology to offer a very “special” meeting with Leonardo and to present his paintings and drawings.

Whereas the Leonardo Museum, in the town of Vinci itself, documents the work of Leonardo the inventor, the technologist and the engineer and the Leonardo Library, also in the town centre, focuses on specialized documentation, the house of his birth is now the place for getting to know Leonardo the painter.
In the small room next to the ticket office, thanks to the cutting-edge technology perfected by the company from Milan, Haltadefinizione, it will be possible to see and interact with The Last Supper; using the same application, a reconstruction of the Battle of Anghiari will shortly be completed. And finally, the visitor will be able to appreciate Leonardo’s famous paintings thanks to the Leonardo Touch application, designed by Centrica in Florence, which holds digital reproductions of Leonardo’s works.

Nowadays, we know almost everything about Leonardo, yet his private life and the relationship he had with his hometown remain less well-known aspects. And so it will be Leonardo himself, here in Anchiano, who welcomes visitors into the most intimate and personal part of his world: a life-size hologram – created by Artmedia of Florence who have woven together film, theatre and documentary work – will lend its voice to an old and tired Leonardo who, from his final home in Amboise, looks back on the past and makes a virtual return to Anchiano to tell us of where he went and whom he met, what he studied and the events that kept this area close to his heart.

The Arno Valley, the Fucecchio Marshes, Vinci and the Montalbano hills are often depicted in Leonardo’s maps and in his famous landscape drawings. The house in Anchiano, which is at the centre of a network of paths criss-crossing the Montalbano, is the ideal starting-point for excursions into the surrounding areas, on a quest to find the places and the scenery which inspired the great Genius.

Renovation and restructuring were made possible thanks to co-financing from Tuscany regional administration and the contributions of the Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze and Toscana Energia

INAUGURATION
Friday 22 June 2012, at 5.30 p.m.
Anchiano, House where Leonardo was born

SPECIAL OPENINGS
Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 June, the House will be open from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m.
Free entry for everyone

Shuttle bus service between Vinci – Anchiano
Buses will leave from Piazza Garibaldi and from the Pinetina di Doccia

The house where Leonardo was born can be reached both by car and by coach, but is also linked to the town of Vinci by the Green Route, a historic path about 3 km long which can be covered on foot.

Opening times and admission fees
Open daily 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. (10 a.m. – 5 p.m. from November-February)
Admission: 2.00 Euros
Combination ticket: House in Anchiano + Leonardo Museum 8 Euros (full price)

For more information: www.museoleonardiano.it

Information
Ufficio Turistico Intercomunale (Inter-council tourist office) - Vinci
tel.0571568012; terredelrinascimento@comune.vinci.fi.it

THE ORIGINS OF THE GENIUS

The House where Leonardo was born is reopening to the public

Vinci, Anchiano 23 – 24 June 2012

Following extensive restoration work and reorganization of the exhibition layout, the house in Anchiano where Leonardo was born is reopening to the public, as the place which symbolizes the bonds Leonardo had with his home town.
Surrounded by the centuries-old olive trees of the Montalbano slopes, in a landscape almost untouched by time, the house where Leonardo was born on April 15 1452, the illegitimate son of Ser Piero da Vinci and one Caterina, is the destination of authentic cultural pilgrimages, undertaken by very large numbers of visitors each year, who are searching for the origins of the Genius.

As of June 23 2012, the house of da Vinci’s birth will be opened again, following major restoration works, overseen by Professor Daniela Lamberini of the Department of Architecture of Florence University. The works further enhance the evocative, rustic simplicity of the place, respecting its historical vale and rediscovering some panoramic views hitherto hidden to the visitor. But above all, the work on Leonardo’s house has produced a new museum display, curated by the management of the Leonardo Museum, which deploys the latest multimedia technology to offer a very “special” meeting with Leonardo and to present his paintings and drawings.

Whereas the Leonardo Museum, in the town of Vinci itself, documents the work of Leonardo the inventor, the technologist and the engineer and the Leonardo Library, also in the town centre, focuses on specialized documentation, the house of his birth is now the place for getting to know Leonardo the painter.
In the small room next to the ticket office, thanks to the cutting-edge technology perfected by the company from Milan, Haltadefinizione, it will be possible to see and interact with The Last Supper; using the same application, a reconstruction of the Battle of Anghiari will shortly be completed. And finally, the visitor will be able to appreciate Leonardo’s famous paintings thanks to the Leonardo Touch application, designed by Centrica in Florence, which holds digital reproductions of Leonardo’s works.

Nowadays, we know almost everything about Leonardo, yet his private life and the relationship he had with his hometown remain less well-known aspects. And so it will be Leonardo himself, here in Anchiano, who welcomes visitors into the most intimate and personal part of his world: a life-size hologram – created by Artmedia of Florence who have woven together film, theatre and documentary work – will lend its voice to an old and tired Leonardo who, from his final home in Amboise, looks back on the past and makes a virtual return to Anchiano to tell us of where he went and whom he met, what he studied and the events that kept this area close to his heart.

The Arno Valley, the Fucecchio Marshes, Vinci and the Montalbano hills are often depicted in Leonardo’s maps and in his famous landscape drawings. The house in Anchiano, which is at the centre of a network of paths criss-crossing the Montalbano, is the ideal starting-point for excursions into the surrounding areas, on a quest to find the places and the scenery which inspired the great Genius.

Renovation and restructuring were made possible thanks to co-financing from Tuscany regional administration and the contributions of the Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze and Toscana Energia

INAUGURATION
Friday 22 June 2012, at 5.30 p.m.
Anchiano, House where Leonardo was born

SPECIAL OPENINGS
Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 June, the House will be open from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m.
Free entry for everyone

Shuttle bus service between Vinci – Anchiano
Buses will leave from Piazza Garibaldi and from the Pinetina di Doccia

The house where Leonardo was born can be reached both by car and by coach, but is also linked to the town of Vinci by the Green Route, a historic path about 3 km long which can be covered on foot.

Opening times and admission fees
Open daily 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. (10 a.m. – 5 p.m. from November-February)
Admission: 2.00 Euros
Combination ticket: House in Anchiano + Leonardo Museum 8 Euros (full price)

For more information: www.museoleonardiano.it

Information
Ufficio Turistico Intercomunale (Inter-council tourist office) - Vinci
tel.0571568012; terredelrinascimento@comune.vinci.fi.it

A tribute to Leonardo - a three-dimensional representation of his famous drawing of the Ideal Man, aka Vitruvian Man. The idea was that there are mathematical proportions of the human body that define human beauty - I was never any good at maths! Leonardo combined a careful reading of ancient Greek texts with his own meticulous observations of actual human bodies ("The psychology of physical attraction", London : Routledge, 2008)

There is a small museum in Vinci that has replicas of Leonardo's inventions. Some are minature and others are life size working models. My teenagers thought it cool to walk the streets Leonardo did. They also enjoyed observing the other teenagers in this unassuming italian town. If we kept our mouths shut we could easily blend.

Contraption number 2: the first bike ever to be designed in history, most likely by Leonardo himself, but the only surviving drawing (which wasn't found until very recently) was by one of his pupils. The model in this picture was made after that drawing.

The Conto Guido castle at the top of the hill in Vinci has been converted into the Museo Leonardiano, and is well worth a visit, particularly for families. The museum is packed full of models of inventions he designed in his Codex Atlanticus notebooks. The exhibits have descriptions in English, and include a flying machine, a helicopter, a parachute, a bicycle and many more.

There was an exhibition of models of Leonardo’s inventions in Lucca when we where there in September 2002, and it was still there in July 2004. If you are in Via Roma, have a look – I can’t remember the full details.

There are many other hiking and bike trails in this beautiful tuscan coutryside so get out there and enjoy the nature around you rather than rushing past in a car to these lovely tuscan towns and villages.

This musem houses one of the largest and most unusual collections of machines and models of Leonardo the inventor, technologist, engineer. Each model is shown together with precise references to his sketches and annotations. There is also a fascinating video of his life and works. It was a good place to visit one wet morning in Tuscany but actually itsdefinitely worth a visit whether its raining or not.