Jan. 23 - A painter, engineer, scientist, sure. But who was really Leonardo Da Vinci? Surely a man of wit and talent universal. It would be nice today to discover a bit more of the Italian genius, whose thought joined the scientific and humanistic dimensions. It would be nice to ask him questions: How was your childhood? How do you become a good painter? Actor and director Massimiliano Finazzer Flory tries to imagine all this, wearing period costumes and make-up that is a true reconstruction of the face of the genius, The fascinating show, "Essere Leonardo da Vinci," uses original texts (including the "Treaty of painting") and turns Finazzer Flory into Leonardo, who answers 52 questions about his childhood, his activities in civil and military life, on the relationship between painting and science, painting and sculpture, painting and music. On stage Leonardo-Finazzer Flory also speaks of anatomy and ecology, of the Last Supper and the figures of the Apostles, he mentions his relationship with religion, and tackles the theme of water. He alludes to the fashion of the time, responding to the attacks of his enemies, explaining the motions of the soul, and offering predictions on human flight. The show "Being Leonardo da Vinci" will have its world premiere in Japan, Osaka: the appointment - organized by the Italian Cultural Institute in Osaka in collaboration with the Consulate General of Italy, the Italian Centre Fukuoka and the Italo -Japanese Fukuoka Association - is scheduled for February 20 at 7pm in Ohori Park Nougakudou (1-5 Ohori Park, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City). Finazzer Flory - after the Japanese debut - will then go on tour in the United States and will make a stop in Milan during the Expo.

"ESSERE LEONARDO DA VINCI" FOR EXPO

From May to October - the months of Expo 2015 - next to the Last Supper and the Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, tourists from around the world will hear Leonardo Da Vinci speak and relive his life thanks to the play "Essere Leonardo da Vinci" by Massimiliano Finazzer Flory. The show will be staged at the Bramante Sacristy of Santa Maria delle Grazie, from May to October: May 4 and 25; June 8 and 22; July 13; August 17; September 7 and 21; and October 19 and 26. Before debuting at Expo, the show will go on stage in February in Japan and in the US for two months in prestigious cultural centers, such as the Kennedy Center in Washington (April 2), the Morgan Library in New York (April 21) which hosts the Codex Huygens, important manuscript of the Renaissance that shows Leonardo’s now lost annotations; and Mitie Houston, San Francisco and Providence, at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. In Milan the show will also be staged every Saturday from 2 May to 31 October with at the National Museum of Science and Technology, from 5:30 pm to 6:30pm at the Hall Falck.