The Last Supper (Milan)

When Don and I first started talking about seeing Ashley in Florence, his sole request was that we saw Leonardo DaVinci's The Last Supper. Talking to friends about the trip, Ellen recommended we fly in and out of Milan and spend the day before or at the end of our trip in Milan and see The Last Supper -- but make sure we order our tickets as soon as they go on sale because they sell out quickly. She also highly recommended we book the tour in English.

We heeded her advice and stalked the ticket sales website for weeks prior to our trip. Unlike our experiences in Siena, and when we nearly did not see Michelangelo's David, we had our Last Supper tickets 3 and a half months before our trip and built our trip around those tickets.

I booked the 11:30 AM tour to allow time to find the right place in an unfamiliar city. Having walked the route the night before, we could have booked the earlier tour, but this worked out wonderfully as it rained the most while we were inside the chapel, and was finished by the time we left.

On our stroll to Cenacola Vinciano Museum we were on the look out for breakfast. When we passed The California Bakery (and were still running about an hour early), I knew we found exactly what we needed. While in Florence, I made eggs for breakfast every morning, but our room in Milan did not have a kitchen so that option was out. California Bakery offered a good, American breakfast. We both had French Toast with fruit.

This picture of Jesus on the cross
implies it was an indoor ceremony

By the time we were finished eating breakfast, it was pouring and we did not have an umbrella. This was only the second time on our trip where were caught in the rain.

We waited in the Church of Dominican Santa Maria delle Grazie, the church next door to The Last Supper while we waited for our turn. They want you to arrive early so things move smoothly, yet don't have a dry area to wait. I would have benefited from a tour of this church. It mostly seemed like an odd assortment of art, such as Mary holding a rosary -- does she change "Hail Mary, full of Grace" as she holds it?

I can't complain about having a dry place to wait, only complaining about my lack of appreciation for what I saw seeing.

In an effort to preserve The Last Supper, only 35 people at a time are allowed in the vast room. We met our group, which included a tour group of 20 people traveling with their own tour guide (they met her on the other side of the room). 

The blue flag in front of the building indicates it is a UNESCO site. Good to know for future travels.

The quick version: in August 1943, this area was heavily bombed. It was rebuilt in the Gothic style. It took 22 years to restore The Last Supper (ending in 1997, just prior to our last trip to Italy). The brighter parts are a result of the restoration. When Leonardo painted it 525 years ago, it would have all been bright. Today we only see about 22% of Leonardo's original paint. 

Leonardo used white led to cover all his mural. It was designed to fade away, but also made it more vibrant. The tempura paint used gave it a brightness that we don't see today. Within twenty years it was already starting to fade.

Last night I was in New York City. I saw a tiny reproduction of The Last Supper in a restaurant and was able to recall some of what I learned to a friend.

Leonardo chose to capture one specific moment in the gospels: John 13:21: One of you will betray me.

Each of the 12 is unique. Each one tells a story of that exact moment. Each one has a reaction.

There are four groups of three. Ten of the twelve die as martyrs. Judas dies from suicide. Only John (the one who Jesus loved most) lives be 104 and dies from natural causes. He is the only one without a beard, and is seated on Jesus's right side.

Bartholomew is beheaded.

James the Lesser is stoned.

Andrew, Jesus's first apostle, is crucified

Judas the Traitor is the only one not looking at us, he is clutching his purse of silver with his elbow on the table (an arrogant thing to do).

St. Peter with the white beard is in a complicated position with the knife. He will try to protect Jesus by cutting off a guard's ear. Jesus will then do his last miracle by putting the ear back on the soldier.

St. John appears younger and lighter than Judas.

There are three windows behind Jesus.

Thomas has his finger up. He is the one who will doubt his resurrection unless he can put his finger in the wound.

James the Creator has his arms open wide. He will be the first martyr.

Philip (in red) touches his heart to show his love and affection.

The last three are trying to understand. Alas, here is where we ran out of time and turned to the other painting in the room. I looked it up:

The last three are Matthew, Jude Thaddeus, and Simon the Zealot. Simon is seeking some sort of answer to Jesus's declaration.

This website has more insights we did not cover.

The room was originally designed as the dining hall for the monks. You can see in this picture the room was enormous, which a high, vaulted ceiling. Some of the frescos have been restored giving the sense that the walls would have been covered in paintings back in the 16th century. There are three windows in the room, the only three sources of light before electricity was invented.

The other wall has Crucifixion by Giovanni Donato Montorfano.

Montorfano worked on wet plaster and painted it all in 1495. By contrast, it took Leonardo daVinci three years to create his painting on the opposite wall, also starting in 1495. 

This painting depicts good versus evil. there is a scorpion in front of the one bandit, and an angel around the good one. At this point, I was barely listening because I was still absorbing The Last Supper.

We were being ushered out of the room so the next group of 35 people could hear the same spiel from another guide. We were ushered to a room with a copy of the Last Summer (poor Montorfano's work was never mentioned again).

The first guide took her group leaving us with about 15 people instead of 30.

In the summer of 1940 the first bomb hit Milan. All 55 stained glass windows in the Duomo were removed and kept in a bomb shelter for seven years. Americans bombed Italy heavily. Remember, at that time the Italian government was siding with Hitler's friend, Mussolini. Half of the buildings in Milan were lost.

Anticipating bombs could hit and destroy this building, sandbags were placed covering the two paintings (okay, so Cruxifiction was mentioned again on the tour).

Here are some more crazy facts about The Last Supper and how it is miraculous it has survived for over 500 years.

Due to bombings, there was no ceiling for four years.

During Napoleon's reign, horses were stored inside.

It was originally a dining hall. A hold was cut in the center of the painting so around 1650 a door could be built giving easier access to the kitchen, thus taking out Jesus's feet. I had to look at my pictures -- sure enough Jesus's feet are not visible. Fortunately, he preserved his sketches. Also fortunately, Queen Elizabeth II was a huge fan of his work and has the sketch that includes his feet. This website as a picture of his feet. His feet are together, as a symbol of his readiness to spring into action.

In the 1800s, this space was turned into a museum. There was talk of removing it from the wall to preserve it. 

During WWI it was a hospital for soldiers.

There are special VIP evenings to see it.

Leonardo was not trained as an artist. He did not attend the Academy or become a Grand Master. There is a brilliant picture taken in 1895 of students studying his art, with easels set up to copy The Last Supper. 

There are about 34-39 layers of paint in this picture. He had to wait for each layer to dry before painting the next layer. The monks got a bit impatient with his process. As a result, you cannot see any brush strokes.

Leonardo only painted about 15 pictures. He was a scientist at heart. He opened human bodies at night in secret to study how they worked. In 2014 one of his theories about blood flowing in the heart was finally recognized as accurate. 

In 1726 the first restoration began. In 1977 a 22 year restoration was begun, the most recent to date. The artist, Pinan Brimbilla Barcilon, died in 2020 at the age of 95. She was a frequent visitor to The Last Supper offering up tours -- how amazing would that have been! 

Prior to this I had seen copies of The Last Supper, but did not appreciate it. This was perhaps the best tour I have ever taken perhaps because of the narrow focus and the ability to dive in deep. We spent an hour learning about The Last Supper, and still only scratched the surface. How often can you say that about a piece of art?

Later that day we went on a walking tour of Milan. Our guide mentioned use the Fibonacci Sequence, or Golden Ratio. Yes, our guide used different terms to describe this, but it stuck hearing it a second time in the same day.

First Impressions of Milan

Every ending is a beginning. Our trip to Florence ended, and our trip to Milan began.

After checking into our hotel, we decided to walk to the site of the Last Supper just to see if it was walkable or if we should consider taking the metro the next day. It was drizzling so I left my Panasonic camera in our room and used my cell phone to take pictures. I still find it more satisfying taking picture with my "real" camera, but the cell phone often takes better pictures and is so handy.

We took a different route on the way back so we could see different sites. As we didn't know what we were seeing at the time, this post is mostly a photo dump. It looked beautiful in the rain. Fortunately, it did not rain much so we were able to enjoy the walk.

Initial observations: the streets are much wider than in any other place we visited in Italy. We later learned much of Milan was bombed during WWII, which explains the wider, more modern feel. Buildings are much taller here than in Florence, Siena, or Cinque Terre. Our tour guide the next day said Milan's beauty sneaks up on you. I would agree with that assessment. I would welcome the opportunity to return to Milan and use it as our hub to spoke out to Rome and other cities. 

More trees were in bloom here than in Florence. We also saw more parks. Ashley commented there is very little green space in the center of Florence. Milan is a newer city, one filled with cars and traffic.

By the end of the day, I had nearly 37,000 steps on the pedometer. A feat I would nearly repeat the next day, too.

Street cars!

Flowers in bloom

This went by way too quickly, but we googled it. It is a streetcar that serves meals. You must book at least two days in advance in pairs, it fills up quickly, and it is not cheap, but it looked like so much fun. If we ever go back to Milan, I am booking this experience!

We found the site of the Last Supper. See you tomorrow at 11:30 for our tour!

Dinner was a basic burger. Just the burger. It was our biggest dinner fail of the trip, but since we didn't get sick and it was tasty, it wasn't that big of a fail.

Looking forward to tomorrow's tours. We have two booked: the Last Supper and a free walking tour of Milan.

Farewell Tour of Florence

It was the beginning of the end of our Italian adventures. We crammed everything into our suitcases -- including Ashley's winter clothes and a couple of small souvenirs. Our AirBNB hostess let us keep our bags with her while the apartment was prepared for their next guests.

A tradition that began after my trip to Cuba in 2015 was that I purchase a postage stamp to serve as a "passport" stamp for Bialashu, Ashley's stuffed panda. I've enjoyed trying to explain to postal workers that I just want a pretty stamp for this booklet, that it won't go anywhere, so the cheaper the better (as long as it is pretty). 

I tried explaining this to a postal worker inside the Uffizi, but she wanted to sell me a regular stamp. Don said to just get it and be done. He doesn't appreciate that part of the fun is the challenge. Inside a big post office I had to get a ticket and wait for my number to be called. The process seemed a bit excessive for a mostly empty room with a half a dozen windows open, but as they also use their post office to pay bills, I can appreciate the desire to send people to the proper window. I missed the first time I was called because I was typing my request into Google translate (what an amazing program). Then I spoke with a clerk. He directed me across the hall to the philatelic office. I wish I had taken a picture of the clerk I talked to! His face lit up when I explained what I wanted to do. He found me a cheap stamp of an orchid for 23 cents (more than a euro cheaper than the first stamp I was offered), which I immediately added to the passport to the delight of the clerk. I have a feeling he shared this story with someone that day. As I was leaving, Don pointed out a 60 cent stamp of David. Well, yes, that would have been more perfect, but he was too late. I don't even know if the stamp was available.

Stepping out of the fancy post office, I bought a change purse for 5 euros that matches my new purse. So far, I'm using the change purse in my regular tiny purse. It fits just right! 

Don tried to find fun socks, but gave up. The ones in his size were not appealing. The ones he liked were not in his size. Tried to find a tiny Vespa for Ashley. We took pictures of the places we saw on our Dark Side of Florence walking tour, this time without the rain.

We met up with Ashley at her favorite sandwich shop. It is still a slow process even without as many junior year abroad parents in line. It was still just as good as the first time we went.

Ashley showed us where she does her homework -- a hidden courtyard inside the American University of Florence building. Indoor tables are for those dining in their restaurant, but it is okay to bring outside food and sit while using their Wi-Fi to do homework. It is a charming oasis. It felt like a glimpse into Ashley's life as a college student. We had heard about the place before, but it took until our last day in Florence to see it.

The courtyard at American University in Florence

Unassuming entrance

Ashley had homework to do, so we hugged good-bye. It was great seeing her as much as we did on our trip.

In an effort to work off some nervous energy about the next part of our trip, we walked A LOT. We went back up to Piazzalle Michelangelo to say good-bye to Florence from up high. We took the path Ashley recommended. No surprise, it was shorter and less steep. I saw a group of maybe 100 high schoolers and their chaperones move into group photo position in less than a minute before handing a cell phone to a random stranger to take their picture. It was quite impressive. I wondered who the group was.

I finally hit tired. Don is feeling back to himself, so he was go go go, while I just wanted to sit and be. The day before he had been tired when we are the Pitti Palace, and I was go go go. 

On our way down the hill we finally stopped in the gift shop near Ashley's apartment. It was just as charming as I thought it would be.

We walked past Pino's one last time.

Walking past the Old Palace we saw a display of antique military cars. They were nice to look at, but I didn't understand the context.

We picked up our bags from Alda and walked across the street to the train station. We were early, but better early than late. The train ride to Milan was uneventful and very smooth. Our seats in business class reclined.

Once in Milan, we walked around the traffic circle to Hotel Garda, our home for the next two nights. It was dated, but clean and convenient. The front desk felt very old school.

Last Night in Florence

We met up with Ashley on the Arno after we left the Banksy exhibit. I wanted to enjoy the last sunset with the Ponte Vecchio in the background. It is one of the most beautiful sights in the world.

One last gelato in Florence took us back to Ashley's favorite gelato place. It was the beginning of the good-byes to a city I know will always hold a special place in Ashley's heart.

A picture for our exchange son

Our last dinner in Florence

We didn't do nearly as much outdoor dining
as we anticipated. In part due to the weather.
In part due to just how common smoking is, much 
more so than we saw in Barcelona in October.

When we met up with Ashley she gave us her winter clothes to take back. We somehow managed to squeeze them into our suitcases without having to leave much behind.

Dinner at the osteria was charming. Someone at the table next to us got the Florentine Beefsteak -- which looked like something Fred Flintsone ordered at the drive in. After dinner the owner brought us limoncello on the house. A perfect way to cap off our trip as limoncello is a specialty of Tuscany, one I hadn't quite been able to procure (another time I asked for it, they were out of it, so they brought me an orange one instead).

As quickly as our trip started, it was coming to an end.

The Unauthorized Banksy Exhibit

Don and I debated whether or not to go to the Unauthorized Banksy Exhibit. There is one happening in Philadelphia we have talked about going to. On the one hand, I admire his work. On the other hand, as an unauthorized exhibit, the artist does not benefit. 

Banksy is a street artist. I first heard of him while on a guided tour of Bethlehem in 2019. I should have googled him before going to New Orleans as he has pieces there, too. 

We were talked into a four euro upcharge that included a Virtual Reality element. I normally don't do well with VR, but normally those are on Disneyland rides that also include a lot of uncontrollable jostling. The VR came at the end.

Before that we were in a large gutted church where Banksy's artwork was projected on all walls and the floor. This was my third immersive art exhibit. The first was Gustav Klimt's work in the Ateliers and Lumieres exhibit in Paris in September 2018. That exhibit was jaw dropping in its ability to make you feel as if you were IN his artwork. I wasn't even familiar with his art prior to the exhibit.

The second was seeing Van Gogh exhibit in New York City in August 2021. That exhibit was less magical. It could be because it cost more than twice as much as the Klimt exhibit did, or because the novelty wore off, or because it was mid-pandemic (though we didn't know it at the time) and being with that many people felt odd, or because the same images were in many different rooms instead of just one large room.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this exhibit. We spent at least 15 minutes standing outside the ticket booth making up our minds while the clock ticked.

We went for it.

His art was projected on the walls and floor of the chapel. Later we discovered a staircase which led to a balcony giving a birds' eye view of the art.

A copy of the first Banksy I saw in Bethlehem.

Even looking back on these pictures, I cannot get over how the space transforms by changing what is projected.

In the front of the "church" is a room with its own projections, and mirrors on all sides. I felt as if I was inside a cube -- similar to the feeling at the Escher exhibit, but with music.

Downstairs there are videos explaining his work. An opportunity to create your own graffiti -- which was trickier than I thought it would be, even with stencils o his art.

And the Virtual Reality exhibit.

We did the VR twice it was that cool! You feel as if you are going down the streets of London and Palestine pausing at his art. There were times it was behind me because I was too excited studying my surroundings. I wanted to whip out my camera and take pictures -- it felt that real!

We closed the place down for the night. They were setting up for an evening concert as we were leaving.