Luigi Boldetti

About the creator

Luigi Boldetti (Varano Borghi 1926 – 1984) was a tenacious and passionate scholar of Leonardo’s work in the field of mechanical engineering. A professor at the Technical Institute of Legnano, in the 1950s (on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Leonardo’s birth) he began collaborating with Prof. Giovanni Strobino on the construction of Leonardo’s mechanical loom. The satisfaction of seeing a machine designed by Leonardo actually working led him to expand his field of interest and dedicate himself to the reconstruction of numerous models, which he annually donated to the Museo Leonardiano.

In 1968, the Municipal Administration of Vinci awarded him the title of honorary citizen in recognition of his merits as a scholar of Leonardo’s work and for the affectionate sensitivity he showed toward the great master’s homeland. Thanks to his reputation as a scholar, as well as a skilled technician and expert in artisanal craftsmanship, in 1976 he became an honorary member of the International Association of Tuscans in the World, and in 1981 of two prestigious Vinci institutions: the Raccolta Vinciana in Milan and the Centro Ricerche Leonardiane in Brescia.