Museo Cenacolo Vinciano
- March 9, 2007
- Rated 3 of 5 by
VA_traveler from Dumfries, Virginia
When I started researching the city of Milan before this trip, I only knew one thing about the city. Namely, this is where DaVinci's Last Supper lives.
The painting was done on the wall of what, at the time, was a dining hall. Inspiration for the monks at meal times. That wall is located in the convent of Santa Maria della Grazie, in the Piazza of the same name. There is a streetcar stop in the piazza (talk about convenience); otherwise, there are two metro stops within walking distance. We used the Conciliazione stop.
If you plan to visit the Cenacolo Vinciano, be sure to make reservations well in advance. We're talking a couple of months. This is a really popular sight, remember! You can make your reservations directly with the museum (website), or with one of the ticket brokers that sell them (for a bit higher price). We got ours through WeekendAFirenze. Had to try two different times - the first one was sold out, two months in advance!
You purchase a ticket to visit the Last Supper during a specific time slot on a specific day. Arrive about 1/2 hour before your time to pick up your ticket. A few minutes before your time slot, the folks with tickets for that time will be gathered in a small room displaying the history of the painting. You will then be escorted into the convent's garden, and through an airlock into the climate-controlled room.
There is actually a painting at each end of the room, but the realism of DaVinci's masterpiece greatly overshadows the other.
From journal All Over Italy: Stop 2, Getting High in Northern Italy