Who was Leonardo da Vinci and what can we learn from him?
As Europe prepares to mark the 500th anniversary of his death, we look at his achievements in art, science – and even flight
Leonardo was born in 1452, apparently in a Tuscan village called Anchiano, not far from Vinci, and died in France in 1519. He may be best known as an artist but he was also an engineer, thinker and inventor.