While we were in Florence, we took the opportunity to spend a day in Vinci, the birthplace of Italy’s canonical Renaissance Man and the town’s most famous “da,” Maestro Leonardo.
There was something quite cute about the town’s embrace of all things Leo, and while some aspects of its three museums dedicated to his life and work felt a little Disneyfied, the overall effect showed a town that took art and education seriously. x
We’d been warned that Leonardo’s childhood home was a long walk just outside of the main part of Vinci, with a steep incline and little shade, so we initially thought we wouldn’t attempt it. But after seeing the first museum, I realized that we couldn’t come all this way and miss out on the most authentic artifact from his life. So, we pushed ourselves and took many breaks, and even though it was rough at times, those quiet moments walking with Christine through what felt like endless olive groves with no one else around are some of my best memories of the trip. It felt like a true pilgrimage, made more special given Christine’s lifelong fascination with Da Vinci. She fell in love with him as a child, and here we were, visiting where he’d grown up. It was hot and sweaty, but it was also very worth it. x
The Vitruvian Man and other Da Vincian geometries. x