New digital platform reconnects Leonardo da Vinci manuscripts across Europe

Museo Galileo and Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana have renewed and expanded their scientific collaboration on the study and digital preservation of Leonardo da Vinci’s manuscripts, with a particular focus on the Codex Atlanticus preserved in Milan.

At the centre of the project is Leonardo//thek@, a digital platform designed to support the consultation and analysis of Leonardo’s manuscripts through advanced research tools and interconnected archival material.

The platform was conceived by historian of science Paolo Galluzzi and developed by Museo Galileo together with the Ambrosiana, the Royal Collection Trust, the Biblioteca Leonardiana and the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Roma.

Nearly 1,200 pages of the Codex Atlanticus online

Leonardo//thek@ allows users to explore digitally nearly 1,200 folios of Leonardo’s Codex Atlanticus, connecting texts, drawings, annotations and related historical sources through integrated search systems.

The new version of the platform, Leonardo//thek@ 2.0, also incorporates Leonardo manuscripts held at the Royal Library in Windsor. This will make it possible to virtually reconstruct notebooks that were broken up in the 16th century by the sculptor Pompeo Leoni and later dispersed between different collections.

Researchers will now be able to consult materials preserved in Milan and Windsor within a single digital environment, opening new possibilities for Leonardo studies through digital technologies and web-based research tools.

London presentation planned for June

The updated platform is scheduled to be presented on 8 June 2026 at the Italian Embassy in London, with representatives of the partner institutions expected to attend.

The project also includes further work dedicated to the study and digitalisation of the “exoskeleton” of the Codex Atlanticus — the physical structure and supporting materials connected to the manuscript — with the aim of expanding the research tools available to scholars and the wider public.

A long-term international collaboration

According to Museo Galileo, the initiative builds on more than two decades of international scientific cooperation focused on the preservation, study and accessibility of Leonardo’s manuscripts.

The collaboration reflects a broader trend among museums, archives and libraries towards large-scale digital humanities projects aimed at preserving fragile historical documents while making them accessible to researchers and audiences worldwide.

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