Leonardo da Vinci: Vincerò!

“Leonardo, son of (Messere) Piero from Vinci" was the bastardo child of Piero and a peasant woman named Caterina (who was too poor to have a last name).

Had he not been born illegitimate, the nobility of his father’s status would have bound him to a rigid succession of rank, tethering him to a world of aristocratic limitations. He would have been deprived of the freedom to live with his artist uncle, never finding the space to nurture the boundless curiosity that shaped his genius.

What others used against him—his lack of a noble surname—became the very key to his liberation. It allowed him to walk his own path, free from the constraints of titles and expectations. Ironically, the name that once marked him as lesser has become one of the most revered in history, resonating through generations and across the world.

1476, Leonardo was anonymously accused of sodomy—a serious charge in Florence at the time, punishable by death. Leonard had talent, and that made his rivals green with envy. It was the cowardly accuser’s intent to have him publicly burned at the stake.

Leonardo could never have known in his lifetime the profound legacy his sacrifices would leave. By pursuing his passions, undeterred by doubt or opposition, he forever changed the course of history. His mind, his creations, and his relentless spirit continue to inspire and ignite the imaginations of countless souls, now and for centuries to come.

Leonardo was likely apprenticed to the renoun artist Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence in the autumn of 1466, after the labor-intensive agricultural season was finishing. He was about 14 years old.

Leonardo da Vinci had a keen interest in winemaking and viticulture. September and October were his “happy months”, key months for grape harvesting. While living in Milan and later in France, Leonardo maintained vineyards, and he was even gifted a vineyard by Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan.

Though others may look down upon you for your humble beginnings, those very origins may be the silver lining that propels you to the heights of greatness.