 The museum is housed in this monastery. Photo credit to Museum Website Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and TechnologyWhen: Daily; not Mon Where: Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology Opening Hours: Tue-Fri 9.30am-5pm; Sat & Sun 9.30am-6.30pm Rating:  Milan's Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology, one of the most visited museums in Italy, is a treasure trove of gadgets and inventions. Divided into various sections, it offers explanations on topics as diverse as information technology, engines and astronomy. The museum has recently been enriched with the Submarine S-506 Enrico Toti, along with an innovative interactive area dedicated to the Renaissance master, a refurbished section on chemistry and plastic materials, an electricity lab and a new bookshop, library and auditorium, which host film festivals, concerts and conferences. The gallery containing drawings for more than 15,000 ideas for inventions by Leonardo da Vinci is unmissable - many have even been reproduced as models to give a 3D experience to his fertile imagination.
The Renaissance in Italy centred on the Tuscan city of Florence and was a fevered period of artistic and scientific endeavour. Da Vinci was at the heart of it all. He designed machines to build churches, palaces and fortresses, to wage war, to manufacture goods and to transport them.
Ideas that he pioneered include the helicopter, the armoured car, the eight-barrelled organ, a machine for storming walls, the parachute, a contraption to allow walking on water and even the humble paddle boat. His work laid the foundation for many of the theories behind hydraulics, mechanics, optics, flight and the understanding of anatomy. This was in addition to his activities as a musician, a painter (he painted the Mona Lisa after all), architect and sculptor.
A visit to this museum is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about this incredible man.
Tourist OfficeMilan Tourist Information Office
Piazza Duomo 19/a (basement)
Phone: +39 02 7740 4343 (in UK +44 (0) 20 7408 1254)
Fax: +39 02 725 24 350
E-mail: , iat.info@provincia.milano.it
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