The Five Faces of Leonardo

Original version

BBC Radio 4 LW

Documentaries

Factual

Leonardo da Vinci's virtuosity is re-examined through the eyes of contemporary experts..

Leonardo da VInci is the most celebrated polymath in history. In this series, five areas of his virtuosity are re-examined through the eyes of contemporary experts.

BBC Radio 4 FM

The Five Faces of Leonardo: Leonardo's City

Leonardo's City

BBC Radio 4 - The Five Faces of Leonardo, Leonardo's City

Bionic City design scientist Melissa Sterry visits Milan to assess Da Vinci’s legacy.

Bionic City design scientist Melissa Sterry assesses how Da Vinci shared a futurist approach to design and planning, learning from nature to build a better urban environment.

Melissa Sterry, the design scientist behind the concept of Bionic City, visits Milan to discover the genius of Leonardo Da Vinci.

For Melissa, the trip is as much about the legacy Leonardo has left to urban planning as it is about seeing his iconic painting The Last Supper. She visits some of the most important Da Vinci sites in Milan including the Ambrosiana Library which houses the largest collection of Leonardo's drawings and writings, and the Codex Atlanticus focussing on his talents as engineer, scientist and inventor.

Melissa discovers a connection with the Renaissance polymath in the use of the natural world to influence built environments.

Meanwhile at Windsor Castle print room, which houses another of the world's major collection of Leonardo papers, head of prints and drawings Martin Clayton shows maps which demonstrate his city planning talents. 


Producer: Sara Parker
Executive Producer: Samir Shah

A Juniper Connect production for BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Five Faces of Leonardo

Leonardo's City

Genres

Brand

BBC Radio 4 LW

About BBC Radio 4