Milan's Leonardo3 Museum Faces Closure Over Concession Dispute

The Leonardo3 museum in Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele is at risk of closure after the municipality declined to renew its public land concession in October 2023. The museum, which opened in 2013 as a temporary exhibition but has become a permanent fixture, showcases Leonardo da Vinci's engineering inventions through functioning models and digital displays. It employs 22 people and expects 260,000 visitors in 2023. The city's decision is linked to plans for a new entrance to the Highline, a rooftop walkway atop the Galleria, which currently has access from via Silvio Pellico and piazza Duomo 21. The museum's directors have protested to the Demanio and city assessorates, arguing that two entrances so close together are incompatible. The Demanio, while recognizing Leonardo3 as a museum since 2018, has noted the illegality of a permanent activity in spaces designated for temporary exhibitions. Critics speculate the city may replace the museum with a restaurant, though this remains unconfirmed. The museum's director, Massimiliano Lisa, and scholar Thomas Villa suggest relocating to the Castello Sforzesco in Vigevano, where a similar exhibition existed in 2009, but no decision has been made.