The actual Institute will take place in Florence, Italy, a city that offers a unique combination of scholars, resources, and original works by Leonardo that is fundamental to the interdisciplinary exploration the Institute seeks to pursue. Invaluable resources are the urban fabric of the city itself, its libraries, archives, research institutions, and museums, including the Museo Galileo dedicated to the history of science. Suffice to mention such famous research resources and institutions as the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, the Biblioteca Riccardiana, the Biblioteca Mediceo-Laurenziana, the State Archive, the University of Florence, the Villa I Tatti—The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies, and the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz (KHI) Max-Planck-Institut, which will be our host institution in Florence.

A hub for the study of Renaissance art, architecture, history, literature, culture, religion, and history of science, Florence is the privileged destination for an international community of scholars who come from all over the world to conduct research on Renaissance studies in the city, especially during the summer months. A distinct advantage of having the Institute in Florence is the opportunity for NEH Summer Scholars to interact not only with the Institute's visiting faculty but also with the broader community of scholars residing or researching in Florence.

In Florence, Institute faculty will have the exceptional opportunity of combining a sustained classroom discussion led by experts with the first-hand examination of Leonardo's painting and drawings kept at the Uffizi Gallery. They will also have easy access to high-quality facsimile editions of Leonardo's manuscripts in three venues: at the Museo Galileo, which owns both the physical books and a digital version (the latter is accessible only on the premises of the Museo Galileo); the Biblioteca Berenson at the Villa I Tatti; and at the KHI. It is worth mentioning that Leonardo's original manuscripts are not available for consultation, not even to specialists, and that the facsimile editions of his writings are so expensive that only a handful of libraries own them.

NEH Summer Scholars will have plenty of opportunities to take advantage of research resources in Florence in formal sessions and after the Institute's scheduled activities.

NEH Summer Scholars will be provided with a museum pass to Florentine state museums.