Heritage Landscapes vol.59

What does it mean to reconstruct, at least virtually, a documentary heritage that has been scattered for over four centuries? Leonardo//thek@ 2.0 attempts to answer this question, offering a new perspective on Leonardo da Vinci’s manuscript legacy. For the first time, the platform integrates the resources of the Codex Atlanticus from the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana with the approximately 600 folios held at the Royal Library at Windsor, bringing together online almost a third of the manuscripts that have survived to the present day.

Through high-definition images, transcriptions, advanced search tools and the wealth of over two centuries of scholarship, researchers and enthusiasts can explore Leonardo’s world in an immersive and interdisciplinary way. The project continues the work begun in 2017 with Leonardo//thek@ 1.0 and represents a new milestone in reconstructing the original state of the manuscripts, before they were dismembered at the end of the sixteenth century by Pompeo Leoni.

It is an example of how collaboration between cultural institutions, scientific research and digital technologies can not only preserve our heritage but also reconstruct its connections, ushering in a new era of study into Leonardo’s life and work.

Over 200 pyramids in the heart of the Nile Valley, in Sudan, tell the story of the ancient Kingdom of Kush, one of Africa’s longest-lasting civilisations. Thanks to Google Arts & Culture, the UNESCO site at Meroë can now be explored via 3D models, Street View, WebXR and augmented reality, offering an immersive experience that transcends geographical boundaries. The project allows visitors to examine architecture and inscriptions up close, highlighting a heritage that is often little known and making it accessible to a global audience, transforming the archives of the past into tools for knowledge and discovery through digital technologies.

Eighty years after the patent was filed, the Vespa continues to represent much more than a means of transport: it is a symbol of freedom, design and social transformation. Following the celebrations in Rome in June, there has been a collaboration with Assouline on a collector’s edition book and a special Vespa 80th series. The latter revives the details and colours of the very first models produced in 1946, thanks to research carried out in the company’s historical archives. It is a tribute to a legacy that, from Pontedera to the world, remains a symbol of Italian spirit across the globe.

Credits: Leonardo//thek@ 2.0, Google Arts & Culture, Vespa.