The future of the Leonardo3 Museum—an institution that has been showcasing Leonardo da Vinci’s inventions and genius to the public for over twenty years—is back in the spotlight following the Council of State’s ruling on the leasing of spaces in Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. In Ruling No. 7360/2026, the Council of State rejected the appeal filed by AV s.r.l., a hotel company holding concessions for certain spaces in the Galleria, thereby confirming the legality of the City of Milan’s decision to revoke the concessions. The decision concerns the spaces occupied by the Galleria Vik Milano hotel and, in part, by the Leonardo3 Museum. The ruling concludes the second-instance proceedings in the administrative dispute initiated against a municipal order dated July 2, 2024—the date on which the museum received an order from the City of Milan revoking the concessions for the use of the spaces granted to the concessionaire, due to a series of contractual violations, including the relationship with the Leonardo3 Museum: the subconcession is being contested (for further developments, read here).
Following the ruling, the Leonardo3 Museum issued a statement to clarify its position and protect the reputation of a project that, over the years, has contributed to Milan’s cultural offerings and international appeal. “The ruling concerns the relationship between the City of Milan and AV and the obligations AV assumed toward the City. Neither Leonardo3 nor its co-founder, Massimiliano Lisa, were parties to that relationship or to the legal proceedings, yet they now find themselves bearing the consequences,” the museum emphasizes. In its statement, the institution also clarifies that the judges reclassified the contractual relationship between AV and Leonardo3 as an “unauthorized subconcession” and found AV to be in default, in addition to fire safety and building code violations which, Leonardo3 asserts, “do not concern the Museum’s spaces.”
Leonardo3 states that it has no debts owed to the City of Milan and that it is in compliance with fire safety and public safety regulations. The statement also highlights the financial commitments made over the years: since 2013, the Museum states that it has paid over 6.2 million euros to the concessionaire and 380,000 euros directly to the City of Milan.
This administrative matter is intertwined with the cultural journey of the Leonardo3 Museum, which has welcomed over 2.2 million visitors since 2013. For ten years, it has enjoyed the patronage of the City of Milan and has been awarded the Head of State’s Medal of Representation. The project has been dedicated to the study, reconstruction, and dissemination of Leonardo da Vinci’s inventions, making his research and insights accessible to a broad audience. According to the museum, this work represents a value worth preserving regardless of the controversy surrounding the concessions.
Also affected by the prospect of a possible suspension of operations are the more than twenty families who earn their livelihood working at Leonardo3. For this reason, the Museum emphasizes the importance of finding a solution that safeguards both the continuity of the cultural project and the professionals who work there.
Leonardo3 hopes to initiate a constructive dialogue with the municipal administration, with the aim of establishing conditions appropriate to the cultural nature of the institution and allowing activities to continue “under economic conditions appropriate to its cultural nature, until the conclusion of the public bidding process that will be launched, in which the Museum intends to participate, confident from the outset that the cultural purpose of the spaces will be upheld.”
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| Leonardo3 Museum: Termination of Concessions at the Gallery Confirmed; the Museum Clarifies Its Position |
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