600-yr-old hidden tunnels beneath castle linked to Leonardo da Vinci's genius; Underground mystery unveiled

In a historic find, researchers have discovered underground tunnels hidden under a centuries-old Italian fortress. Researchers are speculating that the tunnels might be secret passages, which could be connected to a drawing made by the master artist, engineer, and scientist Leonardo da Vinci in 1495. Da Vinci, renowned for his multi-faceted genius, is said to have planned the tunnels as soldiers' escape tunnels during sieges.

Research techniques uncover hidden architecture secrets

Politecnico di Milano carried out the study between 2021 and 2023 with non-invasive techniques including ground-penetrating travel radar and laser scanning technology. The next-generation techniques enabled scientists to create digital models of Sforza Castle's underground structure, which spans the 15th century. The research sheds critical information about how and when the fortress was built.

Francesca Biolo, the research fellow who wrote the study, said in an interview, "Our finding is a reminder again of how deeply embedded history is within our cities. Only with the awareness and enhanced knowledge of history and architecture will we be able to really admire and protect our cultural heritage."

Da Vinci's impact on military architecture

The military works of Leonardo da Vinci have been recorded. By the end of the 1400s, Leonardo served as a courtier at Duke Ludovico Sforza where he had developed some of the castle's defense. As Biolo explains, "A second tunnel three feet below the first one is presumed to be meant for soldiers running away from enemy attackers.".

Researchers believe that there could be more undiscovered structures under the fortress. Nevertheless, it remains difficult to chart them because of heavy damage and reconstruction over the Napoleonic Wars and the late 19th century. The original Sforza Castle was six times larger than the current castle.