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00 Vinci
Stemma di Vinci

Tuscany · Firenze

Vinci

The hill town on Montalbano where Leonardo was born in 1452, with a ship-shaped castle that now holds his machines.

Best time
Apr–Oct
By car
50 min from Florence
Population
14,438

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.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

  • J11°
  • F14°
  • M16°
  • A19°
  • M24°
  • J29°
  • J33°
  • A33°
  • S27°
  • O22°
  • N16°
  • D12°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

The festa: Andrea, 30 November

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.

The Sunday letter

Vinci is on our list. Its letter is still to come.

We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Vinci comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Vinci in our articles

How to get there

From Florence / Pisa (PSA), about 1h 9m by car.

Bologna (BLQ) is about 1h 40m away.

By car from the centre of Florence 50 minutes, Pisa 1 hour or Siena 1h 27m.

Coming by train into Prato Centrale? Vinci is about 42 minutes away by road.

Every town within reach of Florence / Pisa airport.

Vinci, photo 1
Vinci, photo 2

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.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Vinci fits in a slow Italy circuit.

Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.

Plan your trip

We recommend

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.

Living here

  • Population 14,438
  • Commuter belti
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Nearest airport Florence / Pisa, 1 h 9 min drive
  • Regional capital Firenze, 50 min drive

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?
Florence / Pisa (PSA), about 1h 9m by car.
How long is the drive from Florence to Vinci?
About 50 minutes 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.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Vinci?
The town keeps its patron saint's day: Andrea, 30 November.
Which other towns are like Vinci?
Carmignano, Cerreto Guidi and San Miniato.
How many people live in Vinci?
14,438 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 97 m
  • Population: 14,438
  • 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.

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Vinci appears on 2 themed picks from our Collections:

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