10.4 Tuesday Part III – Ultima Cena

DINNER WITH da VINCI

  

We last saw our not so Dynamic Duo, huffing, puffing and panting after the sprint from the cathedral, on the bus to the Castello Sforzesco, the former seat of the Duchy of Milan.  This centerpiece of Milan, one of the biggest citadels in Europe, now houses several of the city's museums and art collections.  Reconstructed in 1450 by Francesco Sforza it includes ceiling paintings by Leonardo da Vinci.

Arriving at the Castello, we  were greeted by more elephants as Lorella paraded us thorough the several courtyards and enlightened us with its rich history and more details of its construction. Much of the castello is covered by scaffolding and netting as it undergoes a massive restoration, being attended to by groups of cute architectural students.

 

Its all Chucky can do to concentrate on Lorella’s spiel as he is calculating the time it will take to get back from their last stop at cheisa Santa Maria Delle Grazie to Foro Buonoparte and then the Cathedral before it closes at 6:45PM to retrieve the missing hat.  The fellow tourists who found it has told him where he hung it on a display along the side of the cathedral where Chucky ran the marathon.  So now all that is left is to settle into the groups schedule and wait till we return to Foro Buonaparte 76, which is 10 minutes from the Duomo.

Leaving the Castello the tour then heads to Santa Maria Delle Grazie  where the Cenacolo Vinciano, or “Ultima Cena”
da Vinci’s masterpiece known to the world as the “Last Supper”  resides in the former refectory of the Dominican Convent built by Francesco Sforza in the 1400’s.   

Gaining entrance is impossible without reservations, which are also impossible to get as most tickets are bought up in large block by tour agencies that combine admission with panoramic tours of Milan.  Trying for tickets online before we left home, we instead booked the tour which guaranteed a visit.  Admission is limited to groups of 25 - No more – for 15 minutes only and entrance is strictly controlled as is the climate of the room.  You must pass through a series of climate controlled rooms – much like the air-locks of a space ship to wait till the automatically timed doors open to the refectory.  

No photography is allowed, as the work is in a constant state of deterioration and restoration. The method in which the painting was executed, on a dry surface with tempra instead of oil on wet plaster, the traditional method for a fresco, meant that it stood up very poorly to the test of time.

The several links here including one from àOlga’s Gallery explain far better than I, the history and significance of undoubtedly one of da Vinci’s and the worlds greatest works of art.

Once inside, Lorella leads everyone to the rail directly under the art piece and begins to describe the composition, and significance of each aspect of the painting.  How da Vincini uses groups of 3 to depict the apostles reactions to Christ’s announcement: "Truly I say to you that one of you will betray Me", his use of perspective, which becomes most evident as we are led to the center of the room to observe this startling new technique [for that time].  Lorella’s passion for all things da Vinci is never more evident than now as she describes in depth E V E R Y detail of the masterpiece, from the positioning of Peter’s fist clutching the dagger pointing at St Bartholomew who was later executed by being flayed, to Leonardo’s use of a woman to model the portrait of the youngest apostle St John, giving way to the rumor [perpetuated by Dan Brown in “The Da Vinci Code” ] that it was instead Mary Magdalene.  

In the silence, as you begin to exam each detail of the painting [not a fresco] as she described it, and your emotions begin to well up, you realize that your breath is truly taken away... it is nothing short of 

MAGNIFICANT!

Since our tour group was larger than 25 we had split into 2 groups, ours being the 1^st which waited on the 2^nd group by visiting the Church and then borarding the bus.  All the while, Chucky is fidgeting, checking his watch and devising various plans to get back to the Duomo before closing.

 

Finally, the last of the 2^nd group returns to the bus and we head back to Foro Buonaparte, where our Wacky Duo bolts from the bus to hurry down Via Dante arriving at the Cathedral with time to spare.  DL heads to light some candles for our Mom’s as Chucky makes a bee-line to the spot where the forlorn Capello is waiting for him, hanging from the display light as promised… AND ALL IS WELL IN HIS WORLD!

After a prayer of thanks at the Novena niche, it was time for one last attempt to find something for Henry’s birthday and we begin to wander the streets in search of prime tchotchke havens, finding a shopping district that yielded… nothing, the Grand Mall… nothing.  

A stop at McCafe with their nifty self-order kiosk to at least try to score some McTouques for the kids… nets-Nothing.  They had handed out 1800 toques and McPanini coupons and were out of both.  Oh welllllll…

Time for the last meal in Milan, so we strolled Via Dante until we came upon Café Milano [how fitting] and settled in for a delightful dinner at a cozy table in the corner by the street.  Along with a delightful DOC Langhe Favorita 2010 [vino bianco Piemontese], we sampled a wonderful Carpaccio di Manzo and warm Cibatta bread.  We mistakenly ordered Pene Aribiatta which was so spicy we had to exchange it for a linguini alla Fungi, and Pollo Scarpariello.  

A mediocre Cannoli [Sicily still has the best], a Tiramisu Parfait and 2 cafes topped off the perfect end to a perfect day in Milan.  4 Stars.

After paying the tab and “acquiring” the souvenir café cup, we strolled back to the Cardona Stazione snapping a few great shots of Milan at night, and one last pic of her dear friend G. Garibaldi in the center of Foro Buonaparte. 

As we boarded the waiting Malpensa Express for the uneventful ride back to the airport we couldn’t help wonder out loud…

”Where did the time go?!?  

Had it really been 2 weeks… 

Did we see all we wanted see… 

Do all we hoped to do…

Taste all the Wine...?!?" 

Alas...there's never enough time in Bella Italia for 

Uncle Chuck and the Ever Lovely Dragon Lady.  

Maybe next time… now... About that wine...

Back at the Sheraton Malpensa we did our last packing ballet, finding that Chucky could indeed cram all the tchotchkies into the suitcases and laundry bag, before settling down for another late night NOWAT posting and one last toast to Bella Milano.

The next you’ll hear from us will be a brief departure post, followed by the traditional wrap up with highlights, and travel notes… and maybe even a few words from the Dragon Lady herself… or maybe not.

Ciao 4 Now

Uncle Chuck & The marveling at how quickly it all went by,  Dragon Lady

Sipping the Last Fine Wine, with Sharp Cheese & Great Crusty Bread