Dentro i disegni: tecnologie virtuali per la fruizione dell’opera grafica di Leonardo da Vinci

The pervasive introduction in many knowledge fields of digital techniques and visual applications altered the expression of the narrative dimension, whose nature has eventually become more and more complex and user adjustable. Following criteria rooted in original storytelling, as it was initially defined to combine human resources such as memory, imagination and communication, this paper proposes a possible answer to the current set of issues in authoring documentary and narrative systems. The illustrated experience is based on a solution developed to accurately reproduce some drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, who was certainly the first to replace a totally verbal narration with iconic representations made of graphics and texts, gracefully combined. The historically complex relationships among museum institutions, with their traditional media, and dynamic information systems are tackled introducing a digital communication artifact, named ISLe (InSight Leonardo), meant to replace, investigate, depict, and communicate Leonardo’s ancient drawings, targeting many possible final users from scholars to visitors. As the ISLe digital artifact was successfully adopted during many mentioned exhibitions (the last one opened last April 2022), it was also combined with physical media such as 3D-printed maquettes or real drawing tables, to amplify didactics expressed through expertise, with direct usage of tools and principles adopted by Leonardo himself and simplified to let everyone get the measure of his genius. Following these outcomes, cultural applications like ISLe will surely gain more and more technical features in the future; however, during this evolution, it will be important to keep the focus on the inner meaning of narrative systems, so difficult to produce as necessary to nourish astonishment and surprise proper of Leonardo’s legacy.