Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
matters in 1652 by raising the refectory floor, hacking off a lower section of the scene, in-
cluding Jesus' feet. The most damage was caused by restorers in the 19th century, whose
alcohol and cotton-wool technique removed an entire layer. But its condition does nothing
to lessen its astonishing beauty. Stare at the ethereal, lucent windows beyond the narrative
action and you'll wonder if da Vinci's uncharacteristic short-sightedness wasn't divinely
inspired.
When he was at work on the masterpiece a star-struck monk noted that he would some-
times arrive in the morning, stare at yesterday's effort, then promptly call it quits for the
day. Your visit too will be similarly brief (15 minutes) unless you invest in
Tickitaly's
(
www.tickitaly.com
; guided tour €69;
7.15pm & 8pm)
guided, after-hours tour which allows an
extended 30-minute visit.
Museo Nazionale della
Scienza e della Tecnologia
MUSEUM
( 02 48 55 51;
www.museoscienza.org
;
Via San Vittore 21; adult/child €10/7, submarine tour €8;
9.30am-5pm Tue-Fri, to 6.30pm Sat, Sun & holidays; Sant'Ambrogio)
Kids, would-be inventors
and geeks will go goggle-eyed at Milan's impressive museum of science and technology,
the largest of its kind in Italy. It is a fitting tribute in a city where arch-inventor Leonardo
da Vinci did much of his finest work. The 16th-century monastery, where it is housed, fea-
tures a collection of more than 10,000 items, including models based on da Vinci's engin-
eering sketches, halls devoted to the sciences of physics, astronomy and horology, and
outdoor hangars housing steam trains, planes, full-sized galleons and Italy's first submar-
ine.
