There are endless reasons to find a vacation rental in Milan as it is the fashion capital of Italy, a cosmopolitan gem full of incredible bars and restaurants, home to some rather extraordinary architectural feats both very old and very new, boasts some brilliant museums and attractions, and more. However, for those who are interested in the life and work of one Leonardo Da Vinci there are particular attractions in town that will appeal and a long list of traces of the artist-inventor all over the city that are just waiting to be discovered. One can easily spend a whole holiday just following his trail and seeing how he is still felt all over Milan today.
Why is Milan home to such an array of buildings, monuments, places, artworks, and more that are connected to the Tuscan-born Da Vinci, you may ask? Well, that is because the city was his home for two different periods during his lifetime, from around 1482 to 1499 and then again from 1508 to 1513. While his Last Supper in the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie is, undoubtedly, his most famous extant piece in the city, Da Vinci worked on all sorts of projects while in Milan, particularly for Ludovico Sforza who later became Duke of Milan and to whom Lorenzo de’ Medici sent the Renaissance master as an ambassador.
During this period, he was also commissioned to paint the, "Virgin of the Rocks," for the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception, he designed floats and pageants for special occasions, created a design for the cupola of the city’s Cathedral (though he ultimately withdrew from the competition), a model for a huge equestrian monument to be dedicated to Ludovico's predecessor Francesco Sforza, wall paintings for the Sala delle Asse in the Castello Sforzesco, and more. Many of these pieces, unfortunately, were temporary in nature, were never completed, or have been lost or damaged, leaving very few complete works by Leonardo’s hand in the city. Yet, despite this, he is everywhere and he has managed to leave a mark. There is the Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci, a whole museum dedicated to the recreation and study of his various inventions; the ill-fated and crumbling Last Supper that can be visited on-site in the refectory of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie; the Castello Sforzesco’s Trivulziana Library that displays a manuscript by Da Vinci with various studies of military and religious architecture and a fascinating collection of both real and imaginary portraits; the Biblioteca Ambrosiana that houses twelve manuscripts by Da Vinci and has his, "Portrait of a Musician," on show; and the aforementioned equestrian sculpture that was created as a model but never cast was finally created in bronze in 1999 and placed outside the racetrack of Ippodromo del Galoppo.
Perhaps the most unique gem in the city that recalls the time the great Da Vinci called it his home, is the Leonardo Da Vinci Vineyard. This lovely restored outdoor space was given by the Duke of Milan to Leonardo as a gift in 1498, during the period in which the artist was working on his Last Supper at Santa Maria delle Grazie nearby. Part of the San Vittore great vineyard, around 16 rows were given to Da Vinci but were rented out by him to the father of his apprentice Gian Giacomo Caprotti, Sir Pietro di Giovanni da Oppreno, when he left the city for Mantua. When the French took Milan, the vineyard, along with other donations made by Sforza, were confiscated and given away. But once Da Vinci was asked by the French to return to finalise some projects that he had never completed in Milan, he requested the return of his vineyard and it was granted to him. Ultimately, upon his death, he bequeathed the vineyard to both Caprotti and Giovanbattista Villani, a faithful servant of his. Villani donated his portion to the nearby San Gerolamo Monastery and Caprotti’s part was passed down through his family.
In 1920, the architect and politician Luca Beltrami used historical documents to locate its approximate position. The vineyard was then brought back to life during Expo 2015 due to a collaborative effort between the Portaluppi Foundation, the owners of the adjacent Atellani House (the one remaining building in the area from the time in which Da Vinci lived in the neighbourhood), the President of Italian Republic, and the University of Milan, using research conducted into residues of the original grapevines found in the gardens at Atellani House in 2007. The vineyard was then replanted with these original vines and, in 2018, Leonardo’s Vineyard was harvested once more. The house and Leonardo’s Vineyard are open for visits and tours and wine made with the grapes grown in the vineyard today is available for purchase in the gift shop – a very special wine gift for the wine-lover in your life – or can be sampled along with a simple but delicious menu of Italian dishes in the cafe that is located on site.
So, if you are interested in the art, inventions, life, wine, and all of the above of Leonardo Da Vinci then there really is no other thing for it than to find yourself a holiday rental in Lombardy or a vacation rental in Milan, specifically, and to come and explore his various traces that are still located all over this wonderful city during your next getaway in Italy...
Photo credits
Picture 4: Angilolli / CC BY-SA 4.0