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Santa Maria delle Grazie

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pointofnoreturn
pointofnoreturn
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Editor Pick

The Last Supper - The First Stop for Visitors

  • October 28, 2009
  • Rated 5 of 5 by airynfaerie from St. Augustine, Florida
The Last Supper - The First Stop for Visitors

One of the most famous paintings in the world resides in Italy's northern city of Milan. Leonardo da Vinci's massive Last Supper is preserved and available for limited viewings by visitors. The Cenacolo Vinciano (Last Supper) is one of the must see sites for art lovers, and is a viewing that you won't forget.

Located in the Santa Maria delle Grazie church, this painting is housed in a very protected side area where the refectory used to be, surrounded by very high-tech preservation controls. Visitors are given specific reservation times to enter. Only small groups are admitted at a time, and for strict 15 minute visits only. The group walks through 3 separate climate-controlled compartments before entering the vast stone-walled space where the painting is shown. Protected by a guard and security cameras, visitors are kept several feet away during the viewing because of the super fragile state of this important painting.

Painted onsite between 1495 and 1497, the Last Supper has gained even more popularity since the best-seller, the Da Vinci Code, as it was the star of the novel. Buy a guidebook in the shop prior to your visit, or read up on this famous painting and its significance before taking the time to see it, as knowledge of its history will add much to your experience. When you've finished your short tour, take a look inside the church as well which was started in 1497. Designed in high Gothic style, the interior and exterior are both worth a gander.

Tickets are one of the harder things to come by on the list of Italy's "must-sees", and reservations most of the time need to be made months in advance. Although many tour operators offer tickets, the best way is to book through the official church/gallery website and reserve through their online booking calendar. We had to check multiple times each day for 2 months in advance. The calendar was sometimes completely empty (meaning no available times) and then updated if some tickets became available. If you see availability, act fast and grab them. You’ll pay online with credit card and get a confirmation page. *Tip: In case you don't get reservations, still try the ticket counter on-site at 10:30am or 3pm...sometimes you'll get lucky (even if there's a "Sold Out" sign).

• http://www.cenacolovinciano.it/
• Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie
• Metro stop: Cardona, Conciliazione
• Last Supper open: Tues-Sun 8am-7:30pm. Church open: Mon-Sat 7:30am-12pm, 3pm-7pm; Sun 7:20am-12:15pm, 3:30-9pm
• Admission (Last Supper) 6.50euros + booking fee, (Church) free

From journal A Day in Milan

Editor Pick

Santa Maria della Grazie

Santa Maria della Grazie

Santa Maria della Grazie is Milan's most famous church and convent for which it is the home of Da Vinci's Last Supper painting which is in the refectory of the convent.

The church was completed in the late 1400s and was meant to be a convent. The architecture is stunning and the apse is the most striking part of the church. The church was bombed during World War II and much of it was destroyed although the Last Supper mural wall miraculously survived thanks to the protection of the church's devotees.

Inside the church, it is breathtaking and almost a spiritual experience and this is coming from a non-spiritual person! I was deeply disappointed to see that many people were attempting to take flash photographs inside the church - something that I frown upon. Please avoid this because it disturbs the parishioners and those praying in the pews. Proper attire is required as well - meaning no bare shoulders or knees.

Access to the church can be reached by metro - Line M1 (Stops: Conciliazione or Cadorna) or Line M3 (Stop: Cadorna). There is a tram line that goes past the church as well (Tram 24, Corso Magenta). The church is open from 8am to 7:30pm daily. Admission is free for the church only.

I would recommend going into the church if you've already picked up tickets for the Last Supper - either before or after. Just remember that the church is much revered and loved by Milan's population - you can see the scars from the bombings and the details of the extensive restoration work put into the church to make it for what it is today - a World Heritage Site.

From journal Milan Madness

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