**** No food in this one; just a Masterpiece by Leonardo, an unfinished work by Michelangelo….oh, and a nice aperitivo….
We'd had a pretty busy morning exploring the Duomo di Milano. But, our afternoon was going to be pretty amazing as well. After having a nice self catering lunch at our apartment in Brera, we headed on out. Our next stop was about a 20 minute walk away.
We arrived at Piazza di Santa Maria delle Grazie about 45 minutes before our assigned time and I went into the ticket office to exchange my voucher. There were actually folks trying to get tickets but they were told that everything is sold out for the three months and that it was better to buy it online!
So, what was so in demand as to be sold out for months? Well, it's to be found in what used to be the dining hall of this church.
To minimize exposure to humidity only 30 visitors are allowed in at a time for exactly 15 minutes.
Yes, it's the The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci.
The renowned work which depicts the final meal that Jesus shared with his apostles, at the moment when Jesus said “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”
You can see the shock, the confusion, the disbelief on the faces of the Apostles.
Leonardo has Philip asking Jesus, “Lord, is it I?”
And then there is Judas, thirty pieces of silver in hand…..
The composition, the expression, the detail….the story being told in front of us.
It was just amazing to see this in person!
Not to be outdone, on the opposite wall is the Crucifixion by Giovanni Donato da Montorfano.
Pretty dramatic in it's own right. While the Last Supper took three years, this took three months.
On an interesting note, there are two images at the sides of the fresco that Leonardo added.
Our fifteen minutes was up in the blink of an eye.
We did take some time to check out the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie.
Which was built in the 15th century and is a UNESCO World Heritage Sight.
It is said that Donato Bramante designed the dome of the Church – Convent.
An interesting side note about the church. It is said that Milan was the most bombed city in Italy during World War II. On August 15, 1943 a bomb hit the church. To quote Monuments Man Deane Keller, "Leonardo's Last Supper may be in ruins." But the Last Supper would not be destroyed this way as a few months later the iconic masterpiece was found intact!
Once done, we headed back in the direction of our apartment, past busy Cardona Station.
As we passed the distinctive Sforza Castle.
Francesco Sforza, the Duke of Milan, built this castle in the 15th on the ruins of a fortress that dates back to the 14th century.
The distinctive tower was reconstructed in 1905. There was one museum I wanted to check out; the Museo Pietà Rondanini. In this relatively quiet space that dates back to the 16th century resides Michelangelo's last work. An unfinished "Pietà", the Rondanini Pietà, which Michelangelo was working on at the time of his death.
It's quite interesting to see as it provides an example of how Michelangelo created his sculptures.
Also on display is one of two busts of Michelangelo, based on his death commissioned by his nephew from Daniele da Volterra.
And also the funerary altar upon which the Pietà was placed until 2015.
Quite an interesting place to visit.
We then headed back to the apartment and took a break.
After our first evening in Brera, the Missus had me cancel the dinner reservations I had made for our last evening before heading to Liguria. She really enjoyed the area and just wanted to enjoy the neighborhood. We'd be passing thru Milan on our way back, but were staying only a single night in a total different area.
Another things we had taken to was Aperotivo time. So, before having dinner, we decided to do what so many Milanese do…it was time for an Aperotivo. During our dinner and Aperotivo the following evening at Rosso Brera, we had notice a steady flow of folks at the place next door named Cinc. So, we decided to try the place out.
We really enjoyed the folks here; they were quite friendly. My Negroni was very good, fairly stiff, great herbal-fruitiness.
A nice prep for our dinner!
Cinc
Via Marco Formentini 5
Milan, Italy
Of course, the question remained, where were we headed for dinner?
Stay tuned!