This smart little traffic-free square, between the Galleria and the opera house, is dominated by a statue of Leonardo da Vinci. The statue (from 1870) is a reminder that Leonardo spent his best 20 years in Milan, where he found well-paid, steady work. He was the brainy darling of the Sforza family (who dominated Milan as the Medici family dominated Florence). Under the great Renaissance genius stand four of this greatest “Leonardeschi.” He apprenticed a sizable group of followers. The reliefs shows his various contribution as a painter, architect, and engineer. Leonardo, wearing his hydro-engineer hat, reengineered Milan’s canal system, complete with locks.
The statue of Leonardo is looking at a plain but famous Neoclassical building, arguably the world’s most prestigious opera house.
