See & do · Museums
Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci
Opening hours
- Monday: Closed
- Tuesday: 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
- Wednesday: 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
- Thursday: 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
- Friday: 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
- Saturday: 9:30 AM – 6:30 PM
- Sunday: 9:30 AM – 6:30 PM
Images provided by Google Places
Former monastery housing science museum with scale models of da Vinci's submarines & planes.via Google
Housed in a 16th-century monastery, this is Italy's largest science museum, featuring a gallery dedicated to wooden models of Leonardo's inventions.
- Good to know
- €€ entry fee. Allow 3 hours. Excellent for families.
Reviews from Google
Large, wide-ranging museum with something for everyone - but definitely pace yourself. We stayed around two hours and easily could’ve spent longer if we’d read everything in detail as it’s very extensive and spread across multiple buildings. There’s a very broad mix of exhibits, including energy, steel and aluminum, a recreated old pharmacy, a submarine exterior, displays on food and particle research, long-distance telephone lines and the evolution of the internet, space, and even full-size trains and boats in the final halls. The Leonardo da Vinci section is particularly well done and feels unique to this museum, with replicas of his paintings and detailed models of his inventions - including small working versions that demonstrate how his sketches could have functioned in real life. Practical notes: Signs are in Italian and English, there’s a QR-code map and arrows guiding you through the route. Toilets were clean and felt frequent throughout. No cafe, but vending machines available. We had expected a café at the end, but during the week when we visited there were only vending machines. Mid-sized bookshop at the end. School groups were plentiful when we visited (at least 10–15 groups ranging from young children to teenagers), which did impact the experience at times - it could get quite loud and crowded in certain areas. Overall, very interesting and very comprehensive - just plan your energy accordingly.
It was wonderful experience to walk around this museum. Filled with science and history of Technical and scientific development of Italy. I could have spend more than 7 hours here. But a quick guide helped to go through this museum within couple of hours. For science lovers, it recommended to at least have 4 hours here.
Small but nicely curated exhibition. The hall contains not just great replicas of some the incredible machines Leonardo created, but also lots of interactive activities that make children engaged and want to learn. Really far removed from your typical "do not touch" museum experience, although you are obviously ot allowed to touch most of the machines. You can also see some of his artwork and how it all was linked to an experimental approach, really fun museum.
It’s a wonderful place for those who admire and understand the contributions that Leonardo da Vinci made to modern day society. If you are travelling/exploring alone, then do note that you CANNOT buy multiple activities (submarine visit + Leonardo galleries, for instance ) on 1 ticket. Then you need to buy TWO adult category tickets though you are single person. If you cannot manage online better purchase at counter in the museum
Truly amazing museum that I wholeheartedly recommend. There are so many things to see and so many different themes — something interesting for both adults and kids. You’ll need about 1.5–2 hours to see it, depending on your interest and time; even more if you read everything thoroughly. The prices are more than affordable for what you get, and if you’re under 26 the ticket is only €7.50. Highly recommended! ☺️