Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper

A visit to the city of Milan will not be complete without seeing Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper. Vinciano Cenaculo as Italians call it, is located at the back monastery of a simple church called Santa Marie Delle Grazie.

Two hundred years later, visitors are still fascinated and the fascination increased when the painting became a key element in Dan Brown's The Da Vinci code. It is advisable to book at least two months ahead before your visit.

Santa Marie Delle Grazie (Holay Mary of Grace) is a church and Dominican convent included in the UNESCO World Heritage sites list.

During World War II, the night of 15 August 1943, bombs dropped by British and American planes hit the church and the convent. Much of the refectory was destroyed, but some walls survived, including the one that holds the Last Supper, which had been sand-bagged for protection.

The waiting area where you can read a comprehensive history of the masterpiece.

Due to a huge number of tourists, you will only be allowed to enter the monastery 15 minutes prior to your scheduled viewing. The narrow waiting area can only accommodate 25 people.

Once you get your tickets validated, visitors are ushered through a gate and monastery  courtyard greets you. A ticket per person costs 25.00 Euro including a souvenir post card.

No photography is allowed inside but this is similar to what you will see. Da Vinci's masterpiece measures 450 × 870 centimeters (15 feet × 29 ft) and covers the back wall of the dining hall of the monastery.

The Last Supper specifically portrays the reaction given by each apostle when Jesus said one of them would betray him. All twelve apostles have different reactions to the news, with various degrees of anger and shock. From left to right:

Click photo to view large.

* Bartholomew, James, and Andrew form a group of three, all are surprised.

* Judas Iscariot, Peter and John form another group of three. Judas is wearing green and blue and is in shadow, looking rather withdrawn and taken aback by the sudden revelation of his plan. He is clutching a small bag, perhaps signifying the silver given to him as payment to betray Jesus, or perhaps a reference to his role within the 12 disciples as treasurer. He is the only person to have his elbow on the table. Peter looks angry and is holding a knife pointed away from Christ, perhaps foreshadowing his violent reaction in Gethsemane during Jesus' arrest. The youngest apostle, John, appears to swoon.

* Jesus

* Apostle Thomas, James the Greater and Philip are the next group of three. Thomas is clearly upset; James the Greater looks stunned, with his arms in the air. Meanwhile, Philip appears to be requesting some explanation.

* Matthew, Jude Thaddeus and Simon the Zealot are the final group of three. Both Jude Thaddeus and Matthew are turned toward Simon, perhaps to find out if he has any answer to their initial questions.

With so much controversy surrounding The Last Supper, among the earliest I heard, even before reading Dan Brown's book is that Leonardo Da Vinci used the same model for both Jesus and Judas. The story often goes that the innocent-looking young man, a baker, posed at nineteen for Jesus. Some years later Leonardo discovered a hard-bitten criminal as the model for Judas, not realizing he was the same man.

Further reading insists that there is no evidence that Leonardo used the same model for both figures and the story usually overestimates the time it took Leonardo to finish the mural.

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Black is Beautiful

Wearing one of my classics, a black silk blouse  from Zara while out and about in Milan. Black is always in fashion in Italy - even in summer. Italians also have penchant for dark jeans paired with soft leather jacket.

Zara is the first store I made a purchase when I landed in Dubai four years ago.I  never been back though.

The black lace bolero is a clothing item I will never part with. It's been on my wardrobe for as long as I can remember!

A black polka-dot shift dress that I wore on New Year's Eve.

"Black is practical. 

It always looks clean and fairly neat. 
It's certainly simple. 
It's cool. 
It also makes you look thinner." 
~ Christopher Walken

                     Opted for Cheongsam or Mandarin Blouse during a dinner date with Hubby early this month.

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Public Drinking Fountains of Italy

My take for this week's letter F is for Fountain.

If one can save up on anything while on a holiday to Italy, it is by not buying bottled drinking water. From Rome to Milan, we relied on their famous public drinking fountains (and no ill effects if you're worried about safety).

A typical drinking fountain in Rome.

The public drinking fountain in Pisa, Tuscany.

A closer look

A public drinking water fountain in Milan

A closer look: even our toddler wanted to try drinking.

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ABC Wednesday

Lake at The Public Gardens

I took the photo below early morning in Milan two months ago.  It is one of the three lakes in the city's magnificent 16-hectare Giardini Pubblici (The Public Gardens).

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Amigo, Amigo! Malpensa Este?

The lovely well-suited man rushing and asking was obviously European but just as lost as we are in Milan. I gotta make this quick because my bambini is about to wake up. Here my dear readers, is your cheat sheet.

1. Milan has two airports, the Linate and Malpensa.Your travel agent could be asking if you want your hotel near Malpensa which is more than an hour drive away from the city. We chose the city center hotel and to sum it up, it was more expensive than our hotel in Venice or Rome. But then, we walked our way all around Milan. If you choose near Malpensa, you could be staying in a 5-star hotel for the same price and be near the famous San Siro Stadium, home to the successful soccer club, AC Milan. So depending on your interest and your next destination, give your hotel choice a thought.

2. You can reach Milan by train or plane. If you are coming from Venice, take the train again from Sta. Lucia Venezia and it will be a two hour-ride. The Milan Central Station is huge and impressive and I so, so regret not having taken a single photo. We were in a hurry for a scheduled viewing aaargh so prepare your camera even if you have a plane to catch.

3. Finding a taxi station is easy but I suggest you learn how the Milan subway works if you are staying for a couple of days. Traffic is just too much in Milan.

4. I highly recommend Hotel Fenice. Again, I do not have a single photo because Hubby and I were drinking beer half the the time we were in Milan hihiihh. Never had so much beer in my entire life! It was our last stop and having traveled so far, we just wanted to savor our lovely hotel room. Ours was huge with a balcony. The staff were friendly and very accommodating. We arrived earlier  than the check-in time but  our rooms were ready. During breakfast, they always offer to make a cup of hot chocolate for our bambini.

Hotel Fenice had the perfect location between posh shopping district and high street. stores. There is subway station right in front of the doorstep. Across the street is a taxi stand. Opposite the taxi stand is Milan's biggest public garden. It was like Dubai convenience all over again - minus the scorching sun. 

5. Lastly, when you go to Malpensa International Airport, take a cab to Milan Central Train Station. There in front, are shuttle buses called Malpensa Express. It leaves every 20 minutes. You pay around 7 Euro per person. The bus ride is about one hour.

Now for the question about shopping trip, no I did not do any retail therapy in Milan. Hubby, like the generous husband that he is all the time, told me to go shopping but I said NO for three reasons.

1. I was already planning our next holiday destination three years from now.

2. Whatever retail store I saw there - luxury or high street were also available in Dubai. I also think that the window displays in the Fashion Avenue of The Dubai Mall are even more grandiose. However, the advantage is that products of giant Italian houses such as Gucci were sold for a lower price compared to what we pay here in Dubai. But then I already have my Vernis Alma.

3. The photos and memories of walking in the rain, getting lost, and making out with the boy I love most in three world-famous cities is incomparable with the entire House of Armani.

 

Destination: Milan

"Rome is a like a voluptuous woman whose gifts are very apparent, while Milan is the shy, demure girl whose treasures are plentiful, but discovered in time." ~ Italian saying

After a challenging yet romantic stay in Venice, we packed our bags again and boarded EuroStar Italia. We spent two hours marveling the beauty of Italian countryside before reaching our last place to visit, the world's fashion capital -- Milan.

Our tour started visiting Da Vinci's painting, The Last Supper or locally known as Vinciano Cenaculo. The 15-minute visit requires reservation a few months before. Strictly no photos allowed and only 25 people are allowed per visit. The photo is similar to what you see inside the room.

Da Vinci's masterpiece is housed in the simple refectory of the 15th century St. Mary of Graces Church. It is a 20-minute taxi-ride from our hotel in Corso Bunos Aires.

After our lunch, we passed by the massive La Scala Theater touted as the world's most renowned opera house. It  first opened in 1778.

Because we spent our morning with legs cramped inside the train, we decided to walk our way to visit Piazza Del Duomo where Milan's iconic gothic cathedral is located. The Duomo  built in 1386  is Italy's second largest cathedral next to St. Peter's Basilica. It is set in white marble with thousands of statues in its facade and hundreds of spires.

"Some say that the Cathedral of Milan is second only to St. Peter's at Rome. I cannot understand how it can be second to anything made by human hands." ~ Mark Twain

Going back to Hotel Fenice, we decided to walk around the posh mother of all shopping malls  called Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele. The 19th century palace is named after the first king who unified Italy.

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