On the occasion of the 500th Anniversary of the Death of Leonardo da Vinci, Istituto Villa Adriana e Villa d’Este – Villae, on behalf of MiBAC, is sponsoring a series of events on “Leonardo e l’antico: a Tivoli vecchio, casa d’Adriano” (Leonardo and Classical Antiquity: in Ancient Tivoli, Hadrian’s Palace), from April 4th – November 10th, 2019, as a way to honor this artistic genius who has no equal.

Leonardo visited Villa Adriana, at that time known as “Tivoli Vecchio” at the beginning of the sixteenth century. The project highlights his travel through ancient Tibur, especially on April 4-5, with a conference on the theme of “Leonardo e l’antico” (Leonardo and Classical Antiquity) which will be held on site at Villa Adriana with the participation of many scholars from Italy and abroad. The conference investigates how this Tibur visit might have influenced Leonardo’s artistic development and studies,  putting the event in the context of the period and his relationships at the time with fellow artists and his own apprentices. A special itinerary for Villa Adriana, “Sulle tracce di Leonardo” (In the trail of Leonardo), will be laid out within the archaeological park through the creation of didactic panels accompanied by texts and illustrations. The cycle of events concludes in the fall with a focus on other testimonies of Leonardo’s presence at Villa Adriana, especially from the collection of the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan (Cod.  Atl. , f. 227 v [618 v]).