Leonardo Da Vinci part 2 - from Florence to Milan

Leonardo Da Vinci part 2 - from Florence to Milan

Early Life & Education

  • Born illegitimate, Leonardo spent his youth sketching and observing nature.
  • After moving to Florence, he entered the prestigious workshop of Andrea Verrocchio, where he learned not only painting but also the chemistry behind pigments and the mechanics of sculpture and engineering.

🎨 Artistic Breakthroughs

  • By 1472, Leonardo was a member of the painters’ guild and began producing original works.
  • His first known portrait was of Ginevra de’ Benci, and his collaboration on Verrocchio’s Baptism of Christ was so impressive that legend claims the master retired his brush.

⚙️ Engineering Mindset

  • Leonardo’s early involvement in lifting Brunelleschi’s massive dome sphere sparked a lifelong fascination with machines and mechanics.
  • He later designed fantastical inventions, from machine guns and tanksto automated kitchen spits and submarines, many adapted from earlier ideas but improved with Leonardo's obsessive precision.

🕵️ Scandal & Rejection

  • In 1476, Leonardo was accused (and acquitted) of sodomy, a charge that tainted his reputation.
  • He also struggled with feelings of inadequacy due to his illegitimacy and lack of formal education, despite building a massive personal library.

🤹 From Florence to Milan

  • Tired of Florence’s politics and unfinished commissions (like The Adoration of the Magi), Leonardo headed to Milan in 1481.
  • His application letter to Ludovico Sforza emphasized military engineering over painting—positioning himself as the Renaissance’s ultimate multi-hyphenate.

🎭 Court Entertainer & Inventor

  • In Milan, Leonardo served as engineer, party planner, set designer, and even hairstylist.
  • He dabbled in robotics, stage effects, and was inspired by thinkers like Ibn al-Haytham, whose work on optics laid the groundwork for Leonardo’s legendary camera obscura prank.

👂 Tune in to discover how a restless, illegitimate boy turned into one of history’s most enigmatic polymaths—blending art, science, scandal, and a flair for the theatrical.

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Recap 05 – From episode 077 to 100

Recap 05 – From episode 077 to 100

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Berlusconi and Bunga Bunga part 3

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Berlusconi and Bunga Bunga part 2

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27 Okt 202027min

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Berlusconi and Bunga Bunga part 1

Following the publication of Wondery's excellent "Bunga Bunga" podcast, with co-host and legal expert Matteo Marconi we review the show and look back on our own experience of the Berlusconi era. In this episode his first government experience in 1994.

20 Okt 202026min

100 – An interview the godfather of history podcasting and more

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13 Okt 202048min

099 – The Visconti lose Milan and take it back again

099 – The Visconti lose Milan and take it back again

Matte Visconti tries to pass power to his son Galeazzo, who ends up making a mess and losing the city to the Della Torre for almost a decade before would-be Holy Roman Emperor Henry VII come sto Milan and puts the Visconti back in power for the next few centuries, despite their own best efforts to do each other in. We also see some rather annoyed popes and of course a battle with Italians on both sides as usual.

6 Okt 202021min

098 – The Visconti take Milan, Act 1

098 – The Visconti take Milan, Act 1

We see the rise of the Visconti family in Milan as they battle the power of the Della Torre for control over the city and subsequently much of Northern Italy. First however, I take a personal look at my relationship with Milan and tell the story of how my mother was an unwitting baby sitter to the Mafia.

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words and culture, to give the citizens of his city schools, homes all the elements that are fundamental rights, stolen by the Mafia and then handed out as favours.

15 Sep 202025min

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