The great city of Florence! High walls topped by great towers circled the town. As he approached, Leonardo could see the roofs, towers, and steeples of Florence and the great dome of a cathedral. He couldn't wait to explore. As the guards at the city gate inspected his meager belongings, he fidgeted with excitement.

Florence was a trading center, a big and prosperous town, and people and goods from many different lands could be found there. Vendors hawked their wares in loud voices. Their tables were piled with beautifully dyed cloth, silks, and spices from faraway lands. Donkeys pulled heavy carts down the paved streets. Peasant folk shopped at stalls full of fruits and vegetables, meats and cheeses. The crowds parted as priests and great lords in velvet cloaks swept by. Leonardo gaped at all the people, the noise, and the confusion. He stared up at the large stone buildings of Florence, many topped with steep towers. He walked up the broad Via Larga on his way to his father's house, along with the donkeys and carts and throngs of people. The road took him past the famous Medici Palace and he wondered if he would ever see the powerful people who lived inside. The Medicis, a family of bankers and wealthy merchants, had ruled Florence for over one hundred years. Leonardo's new home was a great city, so different from his quiet village in the hills.

When he reached his father's home, he discovered he wasn't to remain there for long. Ser Piero decided it was time for the young man to learn a trade. At that time, it was normal for a boy of twelve or thirteen years to work. Girls worked at home until they were married, but families sent their sons to work as apprentices to merchants or craftsmen for a period of years.

What could Leonardo do? He had no real education, having been brought up in the country. His illegitimate birth prevented him 

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from entering his father's profession as well as many others. Children whose parents were not married were not allowed to become doctors or lawyers or even to attend the university. Many guilds would not accept a young man of Leonardo's background.

But when Ser Piero looked at the drawings his son carried in his knapsack, he knew what Leonardo should do. He put the drawings in a fold of his sleeve and carried them to the "bottega" (which is the Italian word for studio or workshop) of the famous artist Andrea del Verrocchio.

Verrocchio was the greatest sculptor of the time and the official sculptor of the powerful Medici family. He had a square face, dark curly hair, and a serious expression that showed that work was his life. He eyes missed nothing, and as he looked at Leonardo's drawings he knew that this young many would come to be an artist even greater than he was. Verrocchio's bottega on Via de Agnolo was as busy as the streets of Florence. His workshop received orders for paintings, sculpture, household decorations, armor, jewelry, and many other items.

Leonardo's eyes opened wide when he saw Verrocchio's studio for the first time. The doors were open to the street and the teeming life of the city spilled inside. Playing children and their dogs ran through the rooms. Sometimes a pig or a chicken wandered in! Maestro Verrocchio stood in the middle of all the activity, alert to everything that was going on and directing the work of his young apprentices. Brushes and mallets and chisels hung on the walls, along with the sketches and plans of works in progress. One young man was firing up a kiln. Others hammered armor and pounded stone to powder. Easels, workbenches, and models stood everywhere.

Leonardo's father and Verrocchio shook hands. Young Leonardo was now apprenticed to the great artist. He would be a "discepolo"