Top sight to see in Milan
If you’re visiting Italy, it’s worth going to see Leonardo da Vinci‘s famous painting of The Last Supper. The painting is quite amazing to see in person 🤩! It’s located in Milan, which is also an awesome city to explore! This painting was our entire reason for making the trip out to Milan, but the city was definitely a bonus. There are many great restaurants and bars to choose from.
Tip: Get the seafood or sushi in Milan. Also, make a stop at the Bar L’alter and have a refreshing mimosa after seeing the painting. There’s a full menu of drinks, but just know that only certain beverages are served around lunch time.
We did the tour where we were brought through the Duomo, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (the world’s oldest shopping gallery), Sforza Castle, and then to Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper painting. I’d recommend the tour because you cover a lot of ground through Milan and get to see the major attractions all in one!
Tip: Wear good walking shoes for the tour. Some of the roads and sidewalks are cobblestone.
The tour took under four hours and we were able to take a break at the castle halfway through to use restrooms, get water, and snacks. We really enjoyed this tour and honestly, one of the best we have done so far!
Tip: You will need to show a valid government issued photo I.D. or passport, along with your ticket upon entering.
Before entering the building with the painting, the tour guide brought us to a separate building where there were lockers with key pad locks for bottled beverages. You will not be able to bring beverages or food in the building where the painting is located. You can bring your phone for pictures, but you can’t use the flash. You will also not be able to take video or use a tripod. You can take as many pictures as you would like.
Tip: You get 15 minutes with a small group to look at the painting and take photos. The room is climate controlled to keep the humidity down. It keeps the painting from peeling.
The painting is a massive wall mural of Leonardo’s depiction of Jesus and his twelve apostles. It’s supposed to have captured a moment after Jesus states, “One of you will betray me,” with the twelve apostles looking confused and shocked about what he said.
This painting amazingly survived WWII bombings. The rest of the churches ceiling and walls surrounding the painting were destroyed, but the wall with the mural survived. It was the only part of the church still standing after the destruction. They had built a heavy wood scaffold around it and used sandbags to protect the wall from blast and shrapnel, which was successful.
The painting has been restored 7 different times because Leonardo da Vinci had used a tempera technique on dry stone, instead of the traditional wet fresco. That technique caused the painting to flake, so it had to be touched up.
The last restoration took about 21 years to complete. They used scientific analysis to strip away old glue and old repainting. Now, about twenty percent of the original painting remains, but the redo more closely resembles the original colors. The outline of the painting and detail in it have remained the same.
After you exit the room with the mural in it, you will enter a small gift shop where you can purchase some souvenirs. This marks the end of the tour. Again, I’m really glad we did the tour for this one. It was nice! enjoy! 😄