Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci

About the museum

The museum was conceived by Guido Ucelli di Nemi and inaugurated on 15 February 1953, as part of the celebrations for the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci's birth. It is housed in the former Olivetan monastery of San Vittore al Corpo, a complex with cloisters of 16th-century origin which, in the Napoleonic period, was a military hospital and then barracks. Damaged by bombing in 1943, it was rebuilt after the war under the direction of Piero Portaluppi.

In the following years the sites and collections expanded: in 1964 the Padiglione Aeronavale opened and in 1967 the Padiglione Ferroviario, with historic locomotives and carriages. In 2005 the submarine Enrico Toti arrived, displayed outdoors and open for visits inside, while the Leonardo da Vinci Galleries, with models built from Leonardo's drawings, were reopened in 2019 after a new display.

The collections include thousands of objects linked to the history of science, technology and industry in Italy, from machines and scientific instruments to means of transport, as well as an area devoted to space. Since 2000 the museum has been run by the Fondazione Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci. Besides its exhibitions it offers interactive workshops, virtual reality experiences, guided tours and school programmes.

Highlights

• Leonardo da Vinci Galleries with models rebuilt from the artist's drawings
• Submarine Enrico Toti, open for visits inside by reservation
• Space area with a fragment of the Moon and the Vega rocket
• Liner Conte Biancamano, historic locomotives and aircraft in the pavilions
• Interactive workshops and virtual reality experiences

Permanent exhibitions

• Gallerie Leonardo da Vinci – Models and installations built from Leonardo's drawings, with tactile stations and content in LIS.
• Area Spazio – Section devoted to space exploration, with a fragment of the Moon and the Vega rocket.
• Sottomarino Enrico Toti e padiglioni dei trasporti – The Toti submarine in the outdoor area, the liner Conte Biancamano, and the historic locomotives and aircraft of the Aeronavale and Ferroviario pavilions.

Founded

1953

Operated by

Fondazione Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci

Director

Giuliano Urbani

Admission & discounts

Free admission also for tourist guides and interpreters, accredited journalists, ICOM and ICCROM members, holders of the Abbonamento Musei Lombardia and the YesMilano City Pass, and accompanying teachers. Reductions are provided for employees of certain law enforcement agencies, members of partner associations, holders of a Trenitalia ticket for Milan and students of some universities with vouchers. There are also four types of Membership Card.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description

The museum can be visited by wheelchair thanks to lifts, stairlifts and automatic doors; the Sala Falck and the interior of the submarine Toti are not accessible, but the interior can be explored virtually with a headset on request (accessibilita@museoscienza.it). At the entrance at via San Vittore 21 you can ask for assistance and borrow wheelchairs and pushchairs; accessible toilets are on every floor. For deaf visitors many contents are subtitled and in LIS, with guided tours in LIS. Eight tactile stations with audio description, and tactile tours by reservation (at least one week in advance).

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

Interactive workshops and activities for children are in the daily schedule; two visit routes for children aged 3–5 and 6–8 can be downloaded. Changing tables on levels 1 and 2 of the Edificio Monumentale, on level 0 of the Padiglione Aeronavale and at the Padiglione Olona; loan high chairs, pushchairs and baby carriers at the entrance.

Getting there & parking

The museum is located in the Area C limited traffic zone. From Malpensa airport take the Malpensa Express to Cadorna and then the M2; from Linate take the M4 to Sant'Ambrogio.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Lockers
• Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi “MUST-Guest” after registration. In the Padiglione Aeronavale there is a temporary café (Benvenuto Family Restaurant) on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 to 17:00; on the ground floor of the Edificio Monumentale there is a snack and picnic area with vending machines, two outdoor picnic areas, the MUST Shop at the exit, lockers at the entrance and two “Caricami” stations for power banks.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

The museum provides rooms for events; information and requests: eventi@museoscienza.it.

Plan your visit