Milan’s Ambrosiana Library, the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, is famous for many reasons. It plays home to works by many great Italian artists, including Caravaggio’s “Basket of Fruits”, Botticelli’s “Madonna con Babino e tre angeli”, drawings of Raffaello’s “School of Athens”, among many others. You’ll find the Atlantic Codex, a collection of more than 1,119 notes, drawings and research concerning mathematics, astronomy, optics, fables and food recipes, pictures of water pumps, war machines and parachutes, which dates back to 1637. It also is home to a piece of queer history: the relationship between Leonardo Da Vinci and Andrea Salaì.
Salaì, nicknamed the “Little Devil” by Da Vinci, came into Da Vinci’s workshop at the young age of 10. Making an impression as a troublemaker, Salaì ended up staying with Da Vinci for about 25 years, learning to paint in his own right, and also posing as a model for many of Da Vinci’s paintings, including the famous Saint John The Baptist, seen at the library. As his muse, many historians wonder if the relationship between Da Vinci and Salaì was deeper, perhaps romantic in nature. Quiiky LGBT tour guide Corrado invites you to visit Milan and see for yourself.
Quiiky offers multi-day “tailor-made” tour packages created specifically around your interests and needs. They also offer LGBTQ+ themed experiences all over Italy, including a 24-hour concierge, and mobile app with itineraries and tickets. Discover Quiiky’s Untold History tours, including a tour, On Leonardo Da Vinci’s Footsteps, which takes you on a guided tour through the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, to the Sforza Castle, and the Atellani’s House for just €125 per person.
