The Last Supper

One of the most famous paintings in the world is surely The Last Supper, painted by Leonardo da Vinci between 1494 to 1497. This wall painting, which can be seen in the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. This fantastic painting has ‘been restored a decade ago and can be seen in it’s full glory again. But be sure to reserve tickets ahead. You will not be alone to have the wish to see the Last Supper and visiting is limited.

The extreme fragility of the painting, whose ,surface is comparable to a giant puzzle, has now led to the adoption of strict safeguards to avoid sudden changes in humidity, air pollution and dust. From this has sprung the need to regulate the flow of visitors, who can have access to the dining hall into a maximum of 25 at a time. To encourage the influx of more people, the time of the visit was limited to 15 minutes, but this restriction still leads the Last Supper to be the site most visited museum in Milan.

The great Da Vinci tried an innovative method when painting that would allow him to paint on dry plaster and then to come back several times on the work taking care of every detail. Unfortunately, Leonardo’s insights proved wrong, and soon, for an unfortunate combination of causes, the painting began to deteriorate as it was not given as resistant to traditional fresco technique. Traditional fresco painting requires a quick application of colour on the plaster still wet, and once it dries, it becomes quite resistant. The downside is one has to paint quick and usually this means the painter can only do a small area at a time.

Over the centuries, therefore, came many restorations in a desperate attempt to save the masterpiece. In 1999, after more than twenty years of work, ended the last conservative intervention that, thanks to the removal of many over-painting, has unearthed what was left of the original drafts.

As the amount of visitors is limited it can booked up months ahead so reserve early. This is one thing not to miss when visiting Milan.

Tickets can be booked on www.cenacolovinciano.net

Ticket office hours:
From Tuesday to Sunday from 8.15 to 19.00 (last admission 18.45)
Closed on Mondays and 1 January, 1 May, 25 December.

Pick up information:
Bring the payment receipt to the ticket office next to the entrance of the museum, introducing mandatory 20 minutes before the visit, on pain of losing tickets.

Directions:
The Last Supper of Leonardo da Vinci in Santa Maria delle Grazie is located in Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie No. 2, in Corso Magenta in Milan, next to the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie.

Services:
Tram 18-24: Stop Corso Magenta – Santa Maria delle Grazie
Metro MM1: Stop Conciliazione or Cadorna Metro MM2: Cadorna