Vinci

Vinci is where Leonardo is born and it is from this place that he gets his commonly used surname "da Vinci." Rather than being a hereditary family name, "da Vinci" is actually reference to the artist's birthplace, meaning "from Vinci." While this type of appellation was very common at the time, it also serves to indicate how much Leonardo's personal identity was tied to his place of birth. In the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, an individual's place of origin was a defining trait which would follow them their whole life. Vinci was a small village at the time but its proximity to Florence gave its residents, such as Leonardo and his father, additional opportunities. As the cultural and artistic center of the Italian Renaissance, proximity to Florence meant that Leonardo had easier access as a young man to his artistic apprenticeship.

Florence

Florence was the center...