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Itineraries between Aretino and Val di Chiana

portrait of leonardo

 
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Around 1502, while serving under Cesare Borgia, Leonardo explored this territory for strategic reasons and land reclamation projects, representing on a very large map of the whole area, RLW 12278, two almost imperceptible but precise routes, which are faithfully reflected in other study sheets of the same areas.

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From Arezzo to Cortona

Along the road at the foot of the hills that follows the route of the ancient Via Cassia, running below the towns and villages, these localities appear in the following order:

Arezzo - (L’Olmo, found only on map RLW 12682) - Pieve a Quarto - Fontiano - Pigli - Puliciano - Rigutino - Vitiano - Cozzano and Mammi (about 1 km off the roadway) - Castiglion Fiorentino - Montecchio - Cortona.

The itinerary continues toward Perugia, entering Umbria and traversing Malborghetto and Passignano, on the shores of Lake Trasimeno.

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From Arezzo to Foiano della Chiana

Arezzo - (L’Olmo, found only on RLW 12682) - Pieve a Quarto - Fontiano. From here the route turns into the valley to pass over the Chiana (now the Chiana Master Canal) to "Ponte a Pietra" (today's I Ponti) and continues downstream (to the east) of the towns of Civitella in Valdichiana - Ciggiano - Gargonza - Monte San Savino and Marciano, traversing Cesa and arriving at Foiano della Chiana.

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Measurements taken in the surroundings of Foiano della Chiana and Castiglion Fiorentino

Leonardo traveled along and measured, on map RLW 12682, the roads that led from Foiano to Cortona (8 miles), to Lucignano (3 miles) and to Marciano (3 miles).

He also followed the roads that led from Castiglion Fiorentino to Brolio (2 miles), Montecchio (1 mile), Mammi (1 mile), "Montanina" (today's Montanare, 4 miles), Cortona (5 miles), Vitiano (2 miles), Rigutino (3 miles), Puliciano (5 miles), Pigli (6 miles), and Olmo (8 miles).

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Texts by Alessandro Vezzosi, in collaboration with Agnese Sabato

English translation by Catherine Frost

Last update 04/feb/2008