Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Corso Magenta; 8.30am-7pm Tue-Sun; Conciliazione, Cadorna)
Any visit to
Il Cenacolo
must be accompanied by a tour of Santa Maria delle Grazie, a Unesco World Heritage
Site. Built by Guiniforte Solari with later additions by Bramante, it encapsulates the mag-
nificence of the Milanese court of Ludovico 'il Moro' Sforza and Beatrice d'Este. Articu-
lated in fine brickwork and terracotta, the building is robust but fanciful; its apse is topped
by Bramante's masterful cupola and its interior lined with frescoes.
In the
sacristry
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
(Via Caradosso 1; admission €10, combination ticket with Biblioteca
Ambrosiana €20; 8.30am-7pm Tue-Sun)
, Sagrestia Monumentale del Bramante, more treasures
await. Illuminated pages from the
Codex Atlanticus,
the largest collection of da Vinci's
drawings in the world. Over 1119 of them were gathered together by sculptor Pompeo
Leoni, enough to make up 12 immense volumes. Every page will be displayed in a rotat-
ing exhibit here and at the Biblioteca Ambrosiana until the start of Expo 2015.
Chiesa di San Maurizio
(Corso Magenta 15; 9am-noon & 2-5.30pm Tue-Sun; Cadorna)
The 16th-century royal chapel and
convent of San Maurizio is Milan's hidden crown jewel, every inch of it covered in Bern-
ardino Luini's breathtaking frescoes. Many of them immortalise Ippolita Sforza, the star
of Milan's literary scene at the time, and her family. Duck through a small doorway on the
left to enter the secluded convent hall where blissful martyred women saints bear their
tribulations serenely - note Santa Lucia calmly holding her lost eyes, and Santa Agata
casually carrying her breasts on a platter.
CHAPEL, CONVENT
Civico Museo Archeologico
MUSEUM
( 02 8844 5208; Corso Magenta 15; adult/child €2/1; 9am-5.30pm Tue-Sun; Cadorna)
Adjoining the
church of San Maurizio is the 9th century Monastero Maggiore, once the most important
Benedictine convent in the city and now the backdrop for the archaeological museum. Ac-
cessed via a cloister where fragments of the city's Roman walls can be seen, and through
3rd-century frescoed
Ansperto Tower
, it provides great insight into old Mediolanum with
well-curated collections of Etruscan, Greek, Roman, Gothic and Lombard artefacts.
Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia
MUSEUM
