Per eccitar Venere o "Per dirizzar la verga". La dieta afrodisiaca nei trattati leonardiani sul cibo dell'amore.

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) is the multifaceted genius par excellence. He was an all-round artist, architect in the broadest sense and a fine connoisseur of human anatomy. He was also an expert in hydraulic engineering and, in trying to understand the mechanism of male erection, he may have applied the principles of that science to anatomy. In this essay, after presenting the main aphrodisiac remedies which were popular with various ancient peoples and in various eras, Leonardo's aphrodisiac recipe is shown: the "acquarosa". His chirograph, datable to 1517, is contained in the famous Atlantic Codex, in 482r sheet. Its ingredients suggest how Leonardo understood the importance of vasodilation for the purpose of a good male erection, making it a clinical recipe, very innovative for those times.