Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452, in or near the Tuscan hill town of Vinci, Italy. The traditional and most accepted birthplace is Anchiano, a small village just outside Vinci, in the Republic of Florence at the time. He was born as the illegitimate son of Ser Piero da Vinci, a Florentine notary, and a peasant woman named Caterina. The house in Anchiano where he was born is a historic site and has been preserved as a symbol of his origins.