8/2: The Last Supper, and Heights of Milan

On our first and only full day in Milan, we’d developed a few key objectives:

1) See Da Vinci’s famous mural “The Last Supper.”
2) Let Annie shop in Prada and other Milanese fashion centers.
3) Tour the Duomo’s roof.

Our first objective had been scheduled nearly a month earlier; I had to book our tickets to see “The Last Supper” weeks prior, when we still weren’t sure what our travel itinerary would even be. Fortunately, everything had worked out--as long as we made it to the Piazza di Santa Maria delle Grazie by 12:30pm for our 12:45 reservation.

BOOM.

After dining on a mediocre breakfast in a hotel lobby under substantial and distracting renovation (with no announcements or apologies from the hotel staff), we found the closest metro and traveled to the stop nearest the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Da Vinci’s mural (aka “Cenacolo Vinciano”) rested inside the church, covering an entire end wall of what used to be a dining room for the monastery.

ABOVE: The front of the church, with (barely in view) the entrance to The Last Supper at left.

We arrived with plenty of time to scope out our surroundings, so we walked the gated perimeter of the church and enjoyed its multi-colored brick and plaster architecture, as well as its serene garden cloisters.

When we reconvened at the entrance for our 12:45 reservation, approximately 15-20 other people joined us. We learned this was because any more than a certain number of visitors would raise the temperature in the sealed-and-controlled room, risking damage to the already deteriorated mural.

Just calling the room “temperature controlled” doesn’t do our experience justice. When our appointed visit time arrived, a sliding glass door led us into one end of a small hallway. Gazing down the hallway, all we could see were two more sealed portals like the one that contained us. It felt like we were entering some Top Secret government facility, rather than an old room with a famous painting on its wall.

Three sliding doors later, we were invited into the large room that harbored Da Vinci’s work. If you consider a rectangle, “The Last Supper” covered the entire side of the short, right end. We were invited to sit on one of eight benches that let us take in the work from the proper distance.

ABOVE: The second forbidden picture I snapped during our entire trip.
I still feel guilty about it, but I didn't use flash...so am I THAT awful?

A tour guide launched into a ten-minute overview of the artwork. He explained that Da Vinci’s choice of tempera for his medium caused the rapid deterioration of the work. We learned how miraculous it was that “The Last Supper” existed at all in the present day. Completed by the end of the 15th century, the mural was considered ruined by 1556, and a doorway was cut through the base of the mural in the mid-17th century. Restoration efforts over the centuries often did more harm than good, and the monastery had even been bombed during World War II.

After our ten minutes in the viewing room we were asked to leave for the next group’s turn. It was a brief glimpse at Da Vinci’s masterpiece, but well worth the effort. We appreciated all the modern efforts to restore and conserve Da Vinci’s work, and highly recommend that you visit if you find yourself in Milan one of these days!

After exiting through the gift shop, we took the metro to our hotel, retrieved Annie’s credit card, then walked back to the Piazza del Duomo so she could complete objective two.

We parked me at an Italian version of Burger King with a couple beers, then Annie took off for Prada to complete her lifelong dream of shopping in Milan. I sat, drank, and people-watched.

Two beers later, Annie still hadn’t returned, so I searched out the ticket office for the Duomo’s roof. I bought our tickets, then returned to my rendezvous point and reunited with Annie, whereupon we ate a small lunch and she showed me her new Prada cosmetic bag, and Louis Vuitton wallet.

NOT PICTURED: Her new accessories, and my aching wallet.

After eating, we scaled the stairs to the Duomo roof, which was, in a word, AWESOME. The architecture up there was spectacular, and really had to be appreciated up close. You could imagine how painstaking the architects’ efforts were to hone the stone embellishments, statues, and gargoyle adornments.

Nearly every angle up there was a photo opportunity, and we spent way more time up there than the average tourist. We just had no idea it’d be that amazing in person.

After getting the requisite couple’s shot beneath the gold-flaked Madonna, we descended, walked home, and showered. Unable or unwilling to walk all the way back to the Piazza for dinner, we explored the streets near our hotel until we found a pub-like restaurant that served good sandwiches and chips. Our last night in Milan passed quietly. Tomorrow, we’d be returning “home” to Athens!
August 2 Milan Album:

Milan: August 2, 2011