Leonardo’s Vineyard (Vigna di Leonardo)
Corso Magenta 65, Milan, Lombardy, 20123
Note: The museum is temporarily closed to the public.After visiting Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper in Santa Maria delle Grazie, discover another side of the artist at the pretty vineyard he was granted by patron Ludovico Sforza, located just across the street. Reopened in 2015, this small plot was where Leonardo would relax while working on his iconic fresco.
The basics
Leonardo is known as a Renaissance man, both artist and engineer, but many don’t realize that Italy’s famous luminary came from a family of winemakers and was a passionate vintner, himself. Tucked behind the elegant Renaissance villa Casa degli Atellani, Leonardo’s vineyard is testimony to his love of cultivating grapes, and recent excavations have unearthed his original 200-by-575-foot (60-by-175-meter) rectangle of land, as well as identified the varietal Leonardo grew—malvasia di candia aromatica, a white grape popular in Lombardy during the Renaissance—today replanted as in the artist’s time.
The site is temporarily closed. When it is open, booking advance tickets is strongly recommended.
Things to know before you go
Leonardo did not live in Casa degli Atellani, but it is the only surviving Renaissance villa in the neighborhood surrounding Santa Maria delle Grazie.
Paired with a visit to admire The Last Supper, a tour of Leonardo’s Vineyard is an excellent way to get a feel for this great artist’s daily life.
Architecture aficionados will especially enjoy exploring the villa’s inner courtyards, grand staircase hall, and portrait room.
The villa and vineyard are not accessible to wheelchairs and strollers.
Casa degli Atellani also has a small bistro (temporarily closed as well).
How to get there
Leonardo’s Vineyard can be accessed through Casa degli Atellani, located on Corso Magenta in the center of Milan. The nearest metro stops are Cadorna, Conciliazione, and S. Ambrogio.
When to get there
The villa and vineyard are registered with FAI (Italy’s National Heritage Registry), and when open to the public they're popular sites to visit, especially on summer weekends. Currently the location is closed.
Santa Maria delle Grazie
Leonardo’s Vineyard is set just across from the 15th-century Santa Maria delle Grazie, home to one of the most celebrated works of Renaissance art in the world: Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. This groundbreaking fresco decorates the refectory wall of the church’s Dominican convent, but the church itself is an important work of Gothic and Romanesque architecture, modified by the Renaissance architect Donato Bramante at the end of the 15th century.
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