Guide to Vinci

"Who'd have thought that such an unassuming Tuscan town would turn out to be such a holiday treasure? Vinci more than lives up to the promise of it's name."

This delightful Tuscan town is visited from many reasons. For the quality of its atmosphere - it's a really welcoming pocket of rural Italy. To walk through the idyllic countryside that surrounds the town - a colourful quilt of meadows and wild flowers. Or to use Vinci as the perfect base for touring - the great, historic cities of Pisa and Florence are both within easy reach. While they're all undoubtedly great reasons to holiday here, they're not the biggest draw. Chances are you'll visit for a completely different reason. You'll be on a pilgrimage. This is the Vinci gave the man who painted the Mona Lisa his name. And this is certainly the place that that upholds the memory of Leonardo da Vinci more proudly than anywhere else in Italy. The Museo Leonardino, for example, is set within a 13th century castle – worth the visit in itself - and offers you an unrivalled insight into his world. Here you will find wooden models of his future-view machines, faithfully reconstructed from his notebooks. An awesome-looking military tank, a car – not exactly by Ferrari standards but nevertheless a car – and a bicycle, to name but a few of the marvels. Beyond the castle lies the attractive church of Santo Stefano, where the infant Leonardo was baptised, but perhaps the most touching part of the Leonardo experience comes when you walk out of town, through the lush countryside towards Anchiano and a pretty but comparatively humble rural farmhouse. Casa di Leonardo is the actual birthplace of one of the greatest painters, sculptors, inventors and scientists who ever lived. Beautiful Vinci is a holiday dream come true.

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