Tuscany · Firenze
Vinci
The hill town on Montalbano where Leonardo was born in 1452, with a ship-shaped castle that now holds his machines.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Vinci is on our list
It holds Bandiera Arancione, Città del Vino and Città dell'Olio.
The nearest town with a letter is San Miniato, No. 23, 26 min by car.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 50 min from Florence
- Population
- 14,587
- J11°
- F14°
- M16°
- A19°
- M24°
- J29°
- J33°
- A33°
- S27°
- O22°
- N16°
- D12°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Vinci sits on the slopes of Montalbano, twenty-five kilometers west of Florence, its vineyards and olive groves laid out on terraces held by dry stone walls. The town takes its name from this landscape, and the massif gives the place its rhythm: the working land climbs above the rooftops, and the paths between the houses lead directly into the terraces. The town itself is small enough that its parts read as one route.
The parish church sits at the foot of the castle, low in the settlement; the farmhouse at Anchiano stands uphill, reached by a pedestrian path that crosses the same vineyards and olive terraces as the rest of Montalbano. Vinci below, Anchiano above, joined by a walk through cultivated slopes rather than street: the geography ties birth, baptism and childhood to a single continuous stretch of ground, with the castle holding the town's other claim, the machines built from drawings made by a boy who walked this same hill.
How to get there
From Pisa (PSA), about 1 h 9 min by car.
Bologna (BLQ) is about 1 h 40 min away.
By car from the center of Florence 50 min, Pisa 1 h 2 min or Siena 1 h 27 min.
Coming by train into Prato Centrale? Vinci is about 42 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Pisa airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Castello dei Conti Guidi
Twelfth-century elliptical castle with tall keep, called the ship castle, home of the Museo Leonardiano since 1953.
Museo Leonardiano
One of the world's largest collections of models built from Leonardo's drawings, spread across the castle and the Palazzina Uzielli.
Casa Natale di Leonardo (Anchiano)
Stone farmhouse reached by climbing uphill from town, its rooms restored as a small museum around the tradition of the birthplace.
Chiesa di Santa Croce
Parish church at the foot of the castle, a restored Romanesque structure with later additions, where the baptismal font remains a point of pilgrimage.
Strada Verde
Pedestrian path from Vinci to Anchiano, crossing vineyards and olive terraces of Montalbano along the way.
From the guides
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
AtmanRistorante
Atman has two Gambero Rosso forks (89/100) to its name.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Vinci meets both of our rules for a small town.
- 14,587 people, inside our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: a real town, still one community.
- Prato, a city of 197,057, is 41 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 14,587, down 0.6% since 2015
- Nearest city Prato, 41 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Empoli, 10 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €1,100 to €1,650 per m² to buy, €3.60 to €5.40 per m² a month to rent
Weighing a move here? See the moving year.
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Commuter belt
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 71% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 3, low hazard
- Florence airport (FLR), 47 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Florence, 50 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
14% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from China, Romania and Albania, against 9% across Italy. 47 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly Germany, France and the United Kingdom. There are 261 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 17% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Florence province ranks 36th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Empoli, 10 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Florence, 26 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Prato, 16 km away. The nearest IB school is International School of Florence, 28 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is Lycée Victor Hugo - French International School in Florence, 26 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.8% to your income tax, with nothing due on income under €12,000. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Tuscany spends about €2,410 a month, €540 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €770 a year for water, on the Tuscany average. In Florence, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.29, a meal in a pizzeria €13.81 and a man's haircut €21.33.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone D, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 1 to April 15, up to 12 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 29% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 49% in a high or medium one. 5% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
LEONARDO
Born 15 April 1452 at Anchiano, raised in Vinci, baptized in Santa Croce; the town carries his name for the Museo Leonardiano.
SHIP CASTLE
Castello dei Conti Guidi with its elliptical walls and tall keep, holding three sections of the Museo Leonardiano since 1953.
MONTALBANO
Hilly massif rising west of Florence, planted with Chianti Montalbano vines and olives on terraces of dry stone walls.
Common questions
- What is Vinci known for?
- Vinci is the hill town on Montalbano where Leonardo was born in 1452, with a ship-shaped castle that now holds his machines.
- Where is Vinci?
- Vinci is a comune in the province of Firenze, in Tuscany, at 97 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Vinci?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Florence (FLR), about 47 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Florence to Vinci?
- About 50 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Vinci?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 33 degrees, and December the wettest, with about 15 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Vinci?
- Carmignano, Cerreto Guidi and San Miniato.
- How many people live in Vinci?
- 14,587 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Vinci a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Vinci is a small town that meets both of our rules. The nearest city, Prato, is 41 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Empoli, 10 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 71% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
The numbers
- Elevation: 97 m
- Population: 14,587
- Surface area: 54.19 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Vinci appears in
Featured on
Vinci appears on 2 themed picks from our Collections:
Near here, with a letter
- Written about. No. 23.
San Miniato
Province: Pisa
The hilltop town between Pisa and Florence that produces a quarter of Tuscany's white truffles and once held the imperial seat of Otto I.
26 min by car
- Written about. No. 14.
Montecatini-Terme
Province: Pistoia
Eleven thermal springs in a Liberty-style park at the foot of the Apennines.
35 min by car
- Written about. No. 21.
Pistoia
Province: Pistoia
Italy's nursery capital and the medieval Tuscan rival that gave its name to the pistol, a quietly extraordinary centro storico 30 minutes from Florence by train and Italy's Capital of Culture 2017.
37 min by car
Our guide
Our nearest guide, 13 km away
Arno Corridor: the towns, when to go, how to get there
The Arno Corridor guide came out of the letter. Letters from the towns we visit. Free.
Read the guide: The working road from Florence to the sea. 8 towns, the drive and train times, the months, where to eat and sleep.
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.