{"id":49779,"date":"2025-01-27T01:05:13","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T01:05:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/aerospace\/secret-passageways-recorded-in-leonardo-da-vincis-sketches-discovered-beneath-a-medieval-castle-in-milan\/"},"modified":"2025-01-27T01:05:13","modified_gmt":"2025-01-27T01:05:13","slug":"secret-passageways-recorded-in-leonardo-da-vincis-sketches-discovered-beneath-a-medieval-castle-in-milan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=49779","title":{"rendered":"Secret Passageways Recorded in Leonardo da Vinci’s Sketches Discovered Beneath a Medieval Castle in Milan"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Researchers from the the Polytechnic University of Milan are mapping\u00a0the castle’s subterranean structures.
\n Polytechnic University of Milan<\/span>
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Beneath\u00a0Sforza Castle<\/a> in Milan, researchers have discovered a series of secret tunnels\u2014passageways once sketched by the Renaissance artist and scientist\u00a0Leonardo da Vinci<\/a> and traversed by a widower sick with grief.<\/p>\n

The tunnels were discovered by experts from the Polytechnic University of Milan, who used ground-penetrating radar and laser scanners to map the 15th-century stronghold\u2019s subterranean structures. The imaging revealed cavities and passageways positioned just a foot or two below the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe aim is to create a digital twin of the Sforza Castle, a digital model that not only shows the current appearance of the castle, but also allows us to explore the past, by revealing ancient structures that are no longer visible,\u201d says\u00a0Franco Guzzetti<\/a>, a geomatics researcher at the Polytechnic University of Milan, in a\u00a0statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Imaging revealed cavities and passageways positioned just a foot or two below the ground.<\/p>\n

Polytechnic University of Milan<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Workers began building Sforza in 1358, but the castle was destroyed during a period of political unrest about a century later. Francesco Sforza<\/a>, the duke of Milan, ordered a new castle to be rebuilt on the ruins in 1450. After he died, his son, Ludovico\u2014also known as il Moro<\/em>, or \u201cthe\u00a0Moor<\/a>,\u201d because of his dark complexion and hair\u2014secured the Duchy of Milan and continued renovating the castle.<\/p>\n

Ludovico hired several artists\u2014including Leonardo, Donato Bramante<\/a> and Bernardino Zenale<\/a>\u2014to decorate the structure\u2019s walls. Leonardo\u2019s frescoes can be seen in the castle\u2019s Sala delle Asse<\/a>, or \u201cRoom of Wooden Boards.\u201d During this time, he also documented secret passages built for military purposes under the castle\u2019s ghirlanda<\/em> (outer wall).<\/p>\n

\u201cThis passageway is immortalized in Leonardo\u2019s drawings and has long been the subject of legends and considerable speculation,\u201d per the statement. \u201cBut now, thanks to technology, it seems that its existence can be confirmed.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Sforza Castle’s construction began in 1358.<\/p>\n

Graziella taibi<\/a> via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Historical records suggest Ludovico ordered the construction of an underground passageway to allow him easy access to Milan\u2019s\u00a0Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie<\/a>, where his wife was buried. Ludovico had married Beatrice d\u2019Este, the daughter of the duke of Ferrara, in 1491. As Encyclopedia Britannica<\/a> writes, their marriage was \u201cunusually harmonious\u201d but short-lived: Beatrice died in childbirth in 1497. Ludovico\u2019s secret tunnel\u2014which may have stretched over half a mile\u2014would have provided the widower private visitations and served as an\u00a0escape route<\/a> in case of a siege.<\/p>\n

The researchers scanned the castle\u2019s grounds with\u00a0ground-penetrating radar<\/a>, which works by emitting radio waves into the earth and sending back signals to an antenna. Eventually, these scans could be used to create augmented reality experiences or virtual visits for tourists, as Claudio Salsi, historical director of the castle\u2019s museums, tells ANSA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Francesca Biolo<\/a>, an architect at the Polytechnic University of Milan, says in the statement that the scans are only the first step in unraveling the secrets of Sforza Castle\u2019s tunnels.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe [ground-penetrating radar] technology has added to our 3D model by providing data about well-known but inaccessible spaces, revealing unknown pathways and suggesting ideas for further research into these secret passages,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

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