Archaeologists mindblown by secret tunnels found beneath Italian castle. Da Vinci had drawn them 500 yrs ago

The truth behind the centuries-old legend associated with one of Leonardo da Vinci’s sketches has finally been uncovered. The legendary fifteenth-century polymath sketched hidden tunnels beneath Sforza Castle, once counted among the few largest citadels in Europe. Even though construction of the medieval site began in 1358, it was constructed by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, on the remnants of a fourteenth-century fortification. According to Live Science, this icon of the Italian Renaissance sketched the castle in 1495. Now, evidence related to Da Vinci's claims of a hidden passage kept secret in the historical structure’s underground has emerged.

The network of secret tunnels running deep under Sforza Castle was discovered recently by researchers at the Polytechnic University of Milan. They used unconventional methods to confirm what had been passed down through generations of Italians for centuries. The experts relied on radar, GPS, laser scanners, and several other techniques to solidify Da Vinci’s claims—who was also an architect—according to a press statement released by the researchers. The Duke of Milan, Ludovico il Moro, used these tunnels as a secret passage to visit his late wife Beatrice d'Este’s grave in the Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie.

Due to political instability, the construction of Sforza Castle took longer than initially planned, according to a report by Good Morning America. In the late fifteenth century, the Duke of Milan hired da Vinci to decorate the castle’s walls. He drew sketches during the same period, showcasing a secret network of tunnels under the structure. Despite popular belief about the passageway immortalized in Leonardo's drawings, it remained a mystery for a long time, with much speculation surrounding it.

With the deployment of advanced technologies, the researchers could create an accurate map of the castle's subsurface and the hidden underground structures after more than 500 years of existence. The GPR and photogrammetry helped researchers solve the mystery by relocating the missing underground cavities and passageways about a foot or two beneath the surface, according to the press statement. “The results were far more significant and intriguing than we had anticipated. We uncovered rooms on a second underground level and an additional passage running parallel to the known one,” Live Science quoted Polytechnic University architectural historian Francesca Biolo.

The extensive survey was carried out jointly by the experts at Polytechnic University, along with Sforza Castle authorities and the engineering company Codevintec Italiana. Additionally, they used 3D ground-penetrating radar to locate the castle’s spaces and passageways hidden beneath its structure. As a result, a new passageway and subterranean rooms were also discovered, stated GMA in its report. Although the exact reason for the tunnels' construction remained unknown to the researchers, the publication stated that soldiers could have used the mysterious pathways to defend the castle during events of aggression. The researchers called for more efforts to explore and study specific areas identified by them to find further missing pieces of the centuries-old puzzle.