Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
Corso Magenta & Sant'Ambrogio
It's usually Leonardo da Vinci's
Il Cenacolo
or the Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio that draw
visitors here, but there's an equal mix of the sacred and the secular in these leafy streets.
Piazza Cordusio is the home of high finance, hence the bars full of young bankers, while
to the south Bramante's cloisters ring with the chatter of students at the sprawling
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.
Il Cenacolo Vinciano
MURAL
( 02 8942 1146;
www.architettonicimilano.lombardia.beniculturali.it
; adult/reduced €6.50/3.25, plus booking fee
€1.50; Cadorna Triennale)
Milan's most famous mural, Leonardo da Vinci's
Il Cenacolo
(Last Supper), is hidden away on a wall of the refectory adjoining the Basilica di Santa
Maria delle Grazie. Depicting Christ and his disciples at the dramatic moment when
Christ reveals he is aware of the betrayal afoot, it is a masterful psychological study and
one of the world's most iconic images.
Restoration of
Il Cenacolo
was completed in 1999 after more than 22 years' work. The
mural was in a lamentable state after centuries of damage. Da Vinci himself is partly to
blame: his experimental mix of oil and tempera was applied between 1495 and 1498,
rather than over a week as is typical of fresco techniques. The Dominicans didn't help
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 Leonardo was at work on the masterpiece a star-struck monk noted that he would
sometimes arrive in the morning, stare at yesterday's effort, then promptly call it quits for
the day. Your visit too will be a similarly brief (15 minutes) unless you invest in a
Tickitaly
(
www.tickitaly.com
;
guided tour €69;
7.15pm & 8pm)
guided, after-hours tour, which allows an ex-
tended 30 minute visit.
Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie
BASILICA
