
193 - Leonardo Da Vinci part 3 - twilight and legacy
About this episode
We explore the fascinating intersection between one of the world’s most famous relics and one of its most brilliant minds: Leonardo Da Vinci and the Shroud of Turin. Was Da Vinci somehow connected to this mysterious cloth? Could he have had the knowledge, access, and motive?
🕯️ What You’ll Hear:
- The scientific investigation into the Shroud of Turin by the STURP team in 1978 and why their results only deepened the mystery.
- The carbon dating shock: how the Shroud was traced back not to 1st century Jerusalem, but medieval Europe.
- The curious photographic qualities of the Shroud and the theories involving camera obscura and silver sulphate.
- The intriguing possibility that Leonardo Da Vinci had the knowledge and opportunity to create such a sophisticated hoax.
- A dive into Leonardo’s Milan years: his commissions, his pupils (including the infamous Salaì), and unfinished masterpieces.
- The story behind The Last Supper, Vitruvian Man, and Leonardo’s move to the French court under Francis I.
- Reflections on Leonardo’s final years and his legacy as a polymath, artist, engineer, and relentless thinker.
📍Locations & Highlights:
- Milan – Leonardo’s court years and commissions under Ludovico Sforza.
- Kraków – Home to the portrait of Cecilia Gallerani, Lady with an Ermine.
- Rome, Florence, Amboise – Key stages of Leonardo’s later life.
🔍 Big Questions:
- Could Da Vinci have created the Shroud?
- What does the Vitruvian Man really represent?
- Was Salaì the inspiration behind some of Leonardo’s most enigmatic figures?
Mentioned in this episode:
Listen Vivace
follow @VivaceMediaNetwork A life well lived is never finished. There is always another version of yourself waiting to emerge. Vivace exists for women who believe the most beautiful part of life is not what has already happened, but what comes next. https://vivacenetwork.com/
Listen Vivace
follow @VivaceMediaNetwork A life well lived is never finished. There is always another version of yourself waiting to emerge. Vivace exists for women who believe the most beautiful part of life is not what has already happened, but what comes next. https://vivacenetwork.com/
Get every episode summarized
Each time A History of Italy publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from A History of Italy

The April 2027 AHOI Grand Your!
A History of Italy

A History of archeology
A History of Italy

Interview episode: Learning Italian with Margherita from "Italian Matters"
A History of Italy

A hiatus announcement and an announcement of an announcement
A History of Italy