A Vigevano, it is possible to follow an itinerary to discover the traces of the Renaissance genius, starting from the Castello Sforzesco with the Leonardiana museum, then moving outside the city to visit the Mora Bassa Museum.
In the then village of Vigevano, the lavish court of Ludovico Il Moro and Beatrice d’Este was Leonardo’s residence, where he came into contact with the artists who made the history of the city, probably influencing their ideas and providing advice on the projects underway.
Indeed, during the dukedom of Ludovico il Moro, the city was beautified and expanded, with the construction of the Castle Stables as a place dedicated to housing the breeding of the horses of illustrious guests invited to participate in the hunting parties; according to some scholars, the first stable served as inspiration for the model stable designed by Leonardo da Vinci in the Paris manuscript B.
Among other renewal works, the “Loggia delle Dame,” the “Falconiera,” and the Tower, inspired by the architecture of Donato Bramante. In the same period, the piazza Ducale was built as a monumental entrance to the castle, and it is said that Leonardo himself reviewed the projects of the ducal engineer Ambrogio da Corte, contributing to the realization of the work.
As further evidence of Leonardo’s genius’s contribution to the city of Vigevano, in 2016 Leonardiana was born, a permanent exhibition held inside the rooms of the Castello Sforzesco: a unique place in the world where visitors can admire the entire, vast, and heterogeneous work of one of humanity’s greatest geniuses.
The Museum offers an unprecedented itinerary through the life and work of Leonardo, who stayed in Vigevano as superintendent of waters on behalf of Ludovico il Moro, but also as a member of the court of Ludovico and Beatrice, who always appreciated his exquisite artistic skills, worldly flair, and scientific and mathematical genius.
The Museum displays all the work that Leonardo was able to conceive and realize during his life: the drawings, now kept in dozens of museums and libraries worldwide, the notebooks which accompanied his days, full of his thoughts and brilliant insights, the codices that after his death were assembled by friends and heirs and are now kept in the world’s greatest libraries and institutions.
The exhibition path is completed by the “impossible art gallery,” where all 26 paintings currently attributed to his hand are displayed, reproduced in real scale with special high-resolution techniques, allowing the visitor to immerse themselves in the entirety of the work, a unique experience that enables a close and thorough analysis of his artistic language.
Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday 9:00 – 13:00 and 15:00 – 18:00. Saturday and Sunday 10:00 – 20:00
Ticket price: € 10.00 full – € 8.50 reduced
Leonardo’s presence in Vigevano is also documented at the Mora Bassa Mill, a fifteenth-century mill equipped with two large water wheels. The building was restored and transformed into a museum in 2000, thanks to funding from the Lombardy Region and the Municipality of Vigevano. Commissioned by Ludovico il Moro, it features architectural characteristics that reflect Leonardo da Vinci’s enormous skills and knowledge, who was present at the Sforza court in those years. Today, the museum exhibits machines designed by Leonardo in his sketches and drawings and made by a local craftsman who explains to visitors the inventor’s revolutionary and innovative ideas.
Opening hours: Saturday 14:30 – 18:00 – Sunday 10:30 – 12:30 and 14:30 – 18:00
Free admission
