Pitigliano (Grosseto). All the genius of Leonardo da Vinci in an unrepeatable exhibition with more 50 machine models faithfully reproduced following the Codesthanks to the study and work of the Florentine artisans of the Niccolai family.
It is the “Leonardo in Fortezza” exhibition event, which will be inaugurated in Pitigliano, in the premises of the former Granai, Saturday 15 June, at 6pm, and will remain open to visitors until 30 September. On the occasion of the inauguration, admission will be free, on all other days there will be a fee.
The exhibition is curated by the Le Macchine di Leonardo da Vinci Museum in Florence and organized by Genius loci srl with the patronage of the Municipality of Pitigliano.
“We are proud to host an event of this magnitude in our area – says the mayor Giovanni Gentili -. The ‘Leonardo in Fortezza’ exhibition represents a unique opportunity to admire up close the extraordinary inventions of Leonardo da Vinci, faithfully reproduced by the mastery of the artisans of the Niccolai family. It is a privilege to offer our citizens and visitors the chance to immerse themselves in the world of one of history’s greatest innovators.”
“The location of the exhibition is very prestigious: – points out Irene Lauretti, Councilor for Culture of Pitigliano –, in fact, the former Granaries were chosen by the organizers precisely because they belong to a fortress from the 1500s, the same historical period in which Leonardo da Vinci worked. It will be an opportunity to make the most of these beautiful exhibition spaces. The machines, faithfully reproduced, will be able to be seen up close and workshops and in-depth educational activities will also be organized around the exhibition event. We are increasingly raising the bar of cultural offerings in Pitigliano, with a highly attractive event, unique in its kind due to the number of machines on display.”
The exhibition
In this exhibition it will be possible to admire some of the most famous inventions of the Florentine genius: the ancestor of the helicopter, one of the most famous projects, the glider, the parachute, the self-propelled trolley to be used as a stage apparatus, considered the ancestor of the automobile; the steam rotisserie, a kitchen machine that approaches cooking perfection; the study of gears; the device for repelling enemy ladders in defense of the walls; Archimedes’ screw, the demonstration of the impossibility of perpetual motion and much more.
Leonardo da Vinci
He was born in Anchiano in the municipality of Vinci on 15 April 1452. He remained with his maternal family, in Vinci, until the age of 17 and then moved to Florence, where, in 1469 the young man was introduced, probably thanks to his father’s knowledge, to Andrea del Verrocchio, master of one of the most prolific art workshops of the time, where important artists such as Sandro Botticelli and Lorenzo di Credi trained. As in all artist’s workshops of the time, the young student’s “internship” was based on practice: first he would have to follow the master’s work, then begin to collaborate with him, and finally he would have to break away to start his own independent activity. Artist’s workshops, especially in the mid-fifteenth century, were real schools, where the rudiments of every technique known at the time were learned. The mix between art and technique was a characteristic of this type of Renaissance workshops: here painting, sculpture, engineering and architecture were combined. For this reason, Leonardo, self-taught and poorly educated, achieved notable growth with Verrocchio.
The Niccolai family
The history of the Niccolai family was born very far back in time. Around 1960 it was Carlo who decided to transform his laboratory of objects for Italian high fashion accessories into a real forge where manual skill produced Leonardo’s machines of a high level of craftsmanship. Partly out of passion, partly to try a new adventure, Carlo started a real collection of working machines by Leonardo da Vinci. After having purchased and carefully read some pages of Leonardo’s Codes, he began to replicate the projects on a larger scale, even life-size, literally transforming himself into a carpenter. Working with wood is not a simple job, especially if you have to give life to projects from centuries and centuries ago through manual work, especially without anyone having ever carried them out. Carlo, however, did not give up and, thanks to the resourcefulness of his son Gabriele, made himself known in the academic field.
Obviously, without the contribution of scholars capable of reading, deciphering and bringing back to craftsmanship the notes that Leonardo wrote alongside the models in the Codexes, Carlo would never have refined his models. Among scholars we love to remember Professor Carlo Pedretti. It will be thanks to his appreciated contribution that it was possible to reconstruct the incredible robot capable of playing the drum. Giving life to a real collection, now refined by the academic contributions of eminent scholars, Carlo and Gabriele undertook the parallel path of organizing cultural events linked to the name of Leonardo. Thus they began to make themselves known to museums, institutions and private individuals who wanted to possess, albeit for the time necessary for the event, a piece of Leonardo’s mind.
Times and tickets
Entry times: the exhibition is open on weekdays from 10.30 to 20.00 and on Saturdays and holidays from 10.30 to 22.00.
Ticket adults 7 euros; children aged 6 to 12 years 5 euros; children from 0 to 5 years free. Reduced ticket for groups of 10 to 25 people 5 euros per person.
Information: www.leonardoapitigliano.it
