Researchers discover homes where Leonardo da Vinci family lived

Five homes in Florence were identified as places of living of Leonardo da Vinci's family.

Photo: Researchers discover homes where Leonardo da Vinci family lived

Leonardo was born in 1452, the illegitimate son of a Florentine notary and a peasant. After his birth, he was sent to live with his paternal grandfather in Vinci, about 35 kilometers (20 miles) from Florence, but would often visit his father in the city center.

His father, Piero da Vinci, often conducted his notary business from his homes and researchers were able to identify them based on legal documentation from the time, said Alessandro Vezzosi, a Leonardo expert and the director of the Ideal Museum dedicated to the artist in his hometown of Vinci.

The discoveries were made by a math historian Elisabetta Ulivi, who was studying notary documents from the time, he said.

The homes are all in the historic center of Florence, he said.