The Mostra di Leonardo at Piazza della Cancelleria 1 in Rome is a permanent interactive exhibition of Leonardo da Vinci’s machines and inventions, housed in the Palazzo della Cancelleria — a Renaissance palace next to Campo de’ Fiori.
This guide was updated in June 2026. The adult admission is €9, confirmed on the official tickets page — several aggregators and review platforms still show €12 for adults, which is out of date. A critical planning note: this is a different venue from the “Leonardo da Vinci Experience” on Via Conciliazione near the Vatican. The two exhibitions are frequently confused online. You can book through GetYourGuide in advance.
Quick facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Address | Piazza della Cancelleria 1, 00186 Rome (next to Campo de’ Fiori) |
| Hours (Mon–Fri) | 09:30–19:00 |
| Hours (weekends and public holidays) | 09:30–19:30 |
| Adult (18–65) | €9 |
| Reduced (13–17; over 65; university students; teachers) | €7 |
| Child (5–12) | €6 |
| Under 5 | Free |
| Nearest bus | Campo de’ Fiori (multiple city buses on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II) |
| Nearest tram | Tram 8 (Largo di Torre Argentina, 8-minute walk) |
| Parking | No on-site parking; nearest garages on Via del Gonfalone or Piazza Borghese |
| Typical visit | 45–90 minutes |
Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition opening hours
The exhibition is open every day of the year. Monday to Friday: 09:30 to 19:00. Weekends and public holidays: 09:30 to 19:30. No annual closure day is listed on the official site, though the exhibition may temporarily host private events in the Palazzo della Cancelleria — if visiting on a specific date, confirm by phone or email in advance.
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Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition admission prices
The adult price is €9, confirmed on the official tickets page. Viator and several aggregators still show the old price of €12 for adults — that figure is no longer correct.
| Category | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult (18–65) | €9 |
| Reduced (ages 13–17; over 65; university students; professors) | €7 |
| Child (5–12) | €6 |
| Under 5 | Free |
Tickets can be purchased online or at the desk on the day. No timed entry is required — tickets are flexible. Book in advance through GetYourGuide to skip the desk queue.
Why visit the Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition?
- 🔬 65 functional machines you can operate: Almost all of the reconstructions on display can be touched, operated, and interacted with — not a hands-off gallery but a genuinely hands-on experience.
- 🎟️ Nine holograms of Leonardo’s work: The exhibition includes the world’s only holograms of Leonardo’s inventions and three of his most famous paintings — a technology-led approach to a Renaissance subject not found elsewhere in Rome.
- 🏛️ A Roman tomb in the basement: The visit includes the underground chamber where the tomb of Aulus Hirtius — a lieutenant of Julius Caesar killed in 43 BC — lies submerged in the waters of the ancient Euripus canal. Entirely unexpected in a Leonardo exhibition.
- 📜 The Palazzo della Cancelleria itself: The Renaissance palace housing the exhibition was built 1489–1513 and is one of the finest early Renaissance buildings in Rome. It is Vatican property and not otherwise open to the public.
- 💰 Open every day, flexible tickets: No timed entry, no booking required, open seven days a week including public holidays — one of the most visitor-friendly admission systems in Rome.
How to get to the Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition
By bus, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II — the main east-west artery of Rome’s historic centre — runs directly past Campo de’ Fiori and is served by buses 40, 46, 62, 64, 916, and H. Alight at the Cancelleria or Campo de’ Fiori stops; the palace is visible from the bus.
By tram, Tram 8 stops at Largo di Torre Argentina, around 8 minutes’ walk east. From Trastevere, Tram 8 is the most direct option.
On foot, the exhibition is 10 minutes from the Pantheon, 8 minutes from Piazza Navona, and 5 minutes from Campo de’ Fiori. It is well within the walkable historic centre.
By taxi or rideshare, the address is Piazza della Cancelleria 1. Most drivers know the Campo de’ Fiori area; asking for the Palazzo della Cancelleria avoids confusion with similarly named addresses.
Parking at the Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition
There is no on-site parking at the Palazzo della Cancelleria. The historic centre of Rome is a ZTL (limited traffic zone) and most vehicles cannot legally enter. The nearest paid car parks are on Via del Gonfalone and near Piazza Borghese — both require a walk of 10–15 minutes. Public transport or walking from accommodation in the centre is strongly recommended.
How long to spend at the Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition
Allow 45 to 90 minutes. The exhibition is compact — four themed sections (Water, Air, Fire, Earth) plus the hologram room and the underground chamber — and most self-guided visitors complete it in around 60 minutes. Visitors who interact extensively with the machines, read all the tablet explanations in the thematic showcases, and spend time in the underground Roman chamber tend to need the full 90 minutes.
Accessibility at the Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition
The exhibition occupies a 15th-century palace. The official site and Civitatis listing confirm wheelchair accessibility and accessible toilets. The underground chamber (where the Roman tomb is visible) involves a descent; check with staff on arrival if this is a concern. An audible security and alarm system is in place. Information is available in accessible formats. No specific hearing loop provision is confirmed.
What to see at the Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition
The interactive machines are the core of the exhibition. Around 65 full-scale wooden reconstructions of Leonardo’s inventions — built from his codices using artisanal techniques — are displayed across four thematic sections: Water, Air, Fire, and Earth. Nearly all can be touched and operated by visitors. The machines include military devices, hydraulic mechanisms, flying machine prototypes, and civil engineering tools. Each section also has thematic showcases with printed reproductions of the relevant codex pages and tablets with 3D video explanations covering botany, anatomy, architecture, theatrical machinery, cooking, and mathematics.
The holograms represent the most technically distinctive element of the exhibition. Nine holograms are structured around Leonardo’s studies on flight, war, engineering, and painting, animating the machines in a format that shows how they move. Three additional hologram showcases display his most famous paintings — including a recreation of how a painting was executed — using high-resolution 3D projection. The hologram of the Christ of Lecco (a recently attributed work) is a recent addition.
The underground chamber in the final room of the exhibition holds a genuinely surprising discovery: the tomb of Aulus Hirtius, a lieutenant of Julius Caesar who was killed at the Battle of Modena in 43 BC. The tomb was discovered in 1938 and sits submerged in the ancient Euripus canal — a channel that once crossed the Campus Martius. Viewing is through glass over the water.
The Palazzo della Cancelleria itself frames the visit. Built 1489–1513, possibly with Bramante as consultant architect, it is one of the finest early Renaissance palaces in Rome and is Vatican property — not otherwise open to the public.
Practical tips for visiting the Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition
| Tip | Detail |
|---|---|
| Don’t confuse this with the Vatican Leonardo exhibition | The Mostra di Leonardo is at Piazza della Cancelleria 1, next to Campo de’ Fiori. The separate “Leonardo da Vinci Experience” is at Via Conciliazione 19, near St Peter’s. They are completely different venues. |
| The adult price is €9, not €12 | Viator and several aggregators still show €12 for adults — confirmed out of date. The official tickets page lists €9. |
| No timed entry | Tickets are fully flexible — no slot booking required. You can arrive at any point during opening hours. |
| Download the virtual tour before visiting | A virtual tour of the exhibition is available via the official website and gives useful context before the physical visit. |
| Book in advance | Walk-in tickets are available at the desk, but booking online avoids waiting and is useful when the exhibition is busy in summer and at weekends. |
Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition FAQ
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is this the same as the Leonardo da Vinci Experience near the Vatican? | No. This is the Mostra di Leonardo at Piazza della Cancelleria 1, near Campo de’ Fiori. The “Leonardo da Vinci Experience” is at Via Conciliazione 19, near St Peter’s Basilica. They are separate commercial exhibitions. |
| What is the adult admission price? | €9. Viator and other aggregators still show €12 — those prices are out of date. |
| Is the exhibition open every day? | Yes, including Sundays and public holidays. Weekday hours are 09:30–19:00; weekend and public holiday hours are 09:30–19:30. |
| Can children operate the machines? | Yes — almost all of the machines can be touched and operated. The exhibition is designed to be interactive for all ages. |
| Is there a Roman tomb in the exhibition? | Yes — the underground chamber holds the submerged tomb of Aulus Hirtius, a lieutenant of Julius Caesar, discovered in 1938 beneath the Palazzo della Cancelleria. |
Things to do near the Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition
Campo de’ Fiori is a 5-minute walk south. The morning market (Monday to Saturday, approximately 08:00 to 14:00) sells fresh produce, flowers, and street food. In the evening the square becomes one of Rome’s main outdoor aperitivo areas.
Piazza Navona is 8 minutes north on foot — Rome’s grandest baroque square, dominated by Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers and Borromini’s Sant’Agnese in Agone.
Largo di Torre Argentina is 8 minutes east by foot and holds the ruins of four Republican-era temples and the site where Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC. A cat sanctuary occupies part of the excavation. Open air and free to view from street level; site visits require booking.
The Pantheon is 10 minutes north-east on foot. Since 2023 admission requires a timed ticket. Booking in advance is essential.
Palazzo Farnese is 3 minutes south and is one of the greatest Renaissance palaces in Rome, now the French Embassy. Free guided tours of the Annibale Carracci frescoes in the gallery are offered on limited days by prior reservation through the French Embassy cultural office.
Similar exhibitions and museums to visit near Rome
Explora – Children’s Museum of Rome is around 25 minutes north by bus and is a hands-on science and technology museum for children aged 3–12. It complements the Leonardo exhibition for family visitors who want to continue the interactive theme.
Museo Galileo, Florence (around 1.5 hours by high-speed train) is Italy’s national museum of the history of science, holding original instruments from the Medici collections alongside significant Leonardo-related material. It provides the most authoritative scientific context for Leonardo’s work among Italian public collections.
Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci, Milan is around 1.5 hours by high-speed train and is the world’s largest science and technology museum dedicated to Leonardo, holding over 180 models of his machines alongside broader science and technology collections.
Vatican Museums, Rome are around 25 minutes by bus or 40 minutes on foot from the Mostra di Leonardo. The Sistine Chapel and Raphael Rooms are essential for understanding the broader Renaissance context in which Leonardo worked.
Borghese Gallery, Rome is around 35 minutes by bus from Campo de’ Fiori and holds major works by Bernini, Caravaggio, Raphael, and Titian in a Baroque villa setting. Not Leonardo-specific but an outstanding complement to any Renaissance-focused Rome itinerary.
More Rome travel
Other Rome travel guides on Planet Whitley include:
- Guides to ancient sites in Rome: The Temple of Vesta in the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, the Baths of Caracalla, Castel Sant’Angelo and Circus Maximus.
- Guides to Rome’s most spectacular churches: The Basilica of Saint Mary of Minerva and the Church of St Ignatius of Loyola.
- Why a private tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum is often the best choice.
- Plan your visit to the Palazzo Altemps in Rome.
- Rome cooking class vs food tour: Which is the best to book?
