Grande Exhibitions partner with the Anthropos Association of Italy, creators of over 120 different machine inventions for the Da Vinci - The Genius traveling exhibition - in a joint venture to operate permanent museums (Il Genio di Leonardo da Vinci Museo) at Chiasa Santa Maria, Piazza del Popolo, Rome; Scuola Grande di San Rocce, Venice, as well as in locations in Florence & Assisi.

The Anthropos Association has their foundation in a very privileged location in the historic centre of Rome, at Chiasa Santa Maria in Piazza del Popolo. Santa Maria is a Head Augustinian Church, located at the northern gates providing entry to the historic walled city. As well as being a pilgrimage site from the days of the Knights Templar, it is also located at the site of the holy inquisition and is rumoured to be above Emperor Nero's tomb.

These projects carry the endorsement of Citta' di Venezia, Comune di Roma & Comune di Firenze and is an important acquisition to strengthen Grande Exhibitions ties with its Italian partners whose knowledge and input play such an important role in the success of Grande Exhibitions flagship exhibition, Da Vinci - The Genius.

We are also very proud to announce another partnership with the Anthropos Association & Pascal Cotte. In 2012 we opened the Mona Lisa Museum at Le Cinque Lune, Piazza Navona, Rome. It is the world's only permanent museum of its kind on the worlds most famous painting.

Italian Artisans from the Il Genio di Leonardo da Vinci Museo study Leonardo’s notebooks, his drawings and writings. They are able to understand an old Florentine dialect, interpret Leonardo’s shorthand and analyse his intricate drawings; often many drawings on the same invention as he laboured to make it perfect. They can also read mirror image writing, the style preferred by Leonardo and they scour through some 6,000 pages looking for clues because sometimes Leonardo had his own form of patents for his designs – hiding key elements elsewhere in his notes that were central to the function, build or operation of a machine concept. A deliberate mistake here or misleading information there, part answers on one page and some on other pages next to totally unrelated sketches and writings.

A testament to the Anthropos Association, the Artisans have now created over 120 different machine inventions of Leonardo da Vinci's collection for the traveling exhibition utilising, where feasible, materials and techniques of 15th Century Italy.