Description of the attraction
The Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology is the largest museum of its kind in Italy. It was opened in 1953 and bears the name of the great Italian scientist and artist Leonardo da Vinci.
The museum is located in the building of the ancient monastery of San Vittore al Corpo and is divided into seven sections: materials, transport, energy, communications, art and science of Leonardo da Vinci, science for the young, new frontiers. Each section has special laboratories for children and students.
The transport section consists of four sections: air with samples of various airplanes and military aircraft, railway with the reconstruction of the facade of the railway station at the end of the 19th century, water with a captain's bridge of the transatlantic liner Conte Biancamano. A separate section is dedicated to the submarine Enrico Toti-S-506 (Italian diesel-electric submarine).
In the materials section, you can get acquainted with the life cycle of modern materials, from various raw materials to the recycling of used materials. A separate exposition is devoted to the metal mining process and processing techniques. The first electric arc furnace, invented in 1898 by Ernesto Stassano, is also exhibited here.
The energy section is devoted to energy sources - here you can see the thermal power plant of 1895 and the devices used in the petrochemical industry.
The communications section is no less interesting; it is also divided into several sections. The Astronomy Department displays old astronomical and topographic instruments, including the 17th century celestial and terrestrial globes, the Salmoyragi telescope and the Foucault pendulum. The telecommunications department presents all types of modern communication facilities from telegraphs to telephones and wireless communicators, as well as samples of radio receivers and televisions. Finally, the sound department introduces the main technologies in the field of sound recording and sound transmission.
One of the most interesting sections of the museum is the one dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci himself and his inventions. Here you can see jewelry, sketches of the great scientist, a collection of watches and musical instruments.
