Researchers may have found the hidden tunnels beneath a castle in Milan that Leonardo da Vinci sketched in 1495. Mysterious underground passages sketched by Leonardo da Vinci have finally been identified below Sforza Castle in Milan. The experts who found the tunnels, which are part of early military defenses, suggest that there may be even more structures waiting to be discovered.
Construction on Sforza Castle, which stands in the heart of modern-day Milan, began in the mid-1300s. Over the centuries, it was expanded, modified and partly demolished, and today, only about one-sixth of the original castle remains. Around 1495, the lord of Milan hired Leonardo da Vinci and other artists to decorate the castle’s interior walls and ceilings. During this time, da Vinci sketched defensive fortifications that bear a striking resemblance to Sforza Castle, including multiple passageways that had been lost to time, until now.