Day 30- Milan

Day 30- 14 September 2008 Today we got up early and got the metro to Cardorna and went to the Cenacola Vinciona (which is the church and the place where Leonardo Da Vincis Last Supper painting is. We had a quick look at the church and booked in and luckily my Italian phone call several months earlier to book tickets had worked. At 9.30 am we were in the first waiting chamber at the last supper site. We then went through 2 more chambers and we let into the hall that houses the Last Supper. We had 15 minutes face time with an English guide and the painting. The Last Supper is not a fresco but painted on a dry wall. Interestingly the hall was actually used as a dining hall and was not actually a chapel or the church (but it is connected to the church). The painting has been restored over the years but no longer retains approximately 80% of its original colours. Despite this, it is a still a master piece worthy of your complete and undivided attention. A visit to see the last supper does not disappoint. The only thing is that 15 minutes (the maximum visit time) is simply not long enough. After this we headed to the park near the Castella Storzesco which is a lovely botanical park. We went to the Arco D Pace (which apparently is suppose to be like the Arc de Triumph in France). But unluckily for us it was completely covered in scaffolding and tarps and could not be seen at all. From here we went to the Casetlla Storzesco and visited the 6 or so museums that this castle houses. The museums include furniture from the original castle and from the 1500,s onwards, Egyptian treasures such as a couple of mummys and coffins, death book, paintings and sculptures, medieval weaponry, rooms and ceilings painted by Leonardo Da Vince which were spectacular and Michaelangelo,s last ever work which was a sculpture called Pietre. From there we headed to The Duomo and got the lift up to the top and walked around this very impressive structure. We walked up to the top level and walked around on the roof. One thing we noticed was the skyline of Milan is not very impressive and we have been very spoilt in previous cities. After coming back down to earth we headed inside and checked out this massive church. From the Duomo we went to Galleria V Emanuel 11 which is a massive cross arcade which is very impressive. So much so that mcdonalds felt the need to detract from their red and yellow and have all signage in gold. In the centre of the arcade we came across a big screen which was showing the milan F1 grand prix live. So we decided to watch the grand prix which was good (especially when ferrari/Massa was overtaking people and the crowd was cheering). We also checked out the La Scala (opera house) from the outside which is unimpressive. Apparently it is amazing on the inside though, but we will have to find that out for ourselves the next time we are in Milan. We also viewed an impressive statute in Leonardo Da Vincis honour. After this we headed down the street and checked out the Ferrari 5 level shop which due to Ferraris lost in the grand prix was not very cheery. From there we went to Palazzo Reale which houses many small exhibitions.