Friday, August 12, 2011

Photoless Friday (24): for Leonardo's "Last Supper" reserve your place in advance, and, in case you didn't, some hints about how to get in, anyway

You know how it goes...your Significant Other hates to plan ahead. YOU know better, of course, but, for the sake of peace in the family, you'll "go with the flow" maybe grinding your teeth as silently as possible, but it's not worth arguing about.

Besides, you've got that penetratingly whiney "I told you so" practiced to a "T."

You get to Milan, you discover that one of the world's masterpieces, Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper" is here. Even if you and S.O. are not great art fans, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity to see one of the Seven Wonders of today's world, so you call.

"I'm sorry, but access is all booked up until early October. We hope you'll come see us the next time you're in Milan, thank you for calling." (click)

The NEXT time you're in Milan?

The stars and planets had to be aligned to get your S.O. to agree to come here THIS time. What to do?...More......

For the sake of complete information, here's the web site in English of the company VIVA TICKET officially entrusted with selling the tickets to see this marvel (only so many people per day, in order to limit damage to the fresco from sweating, breathing and the dust we kick up, just by walking):

http://www.vivaticket.it/evento.php?id_evento=298097&op=cenacoloVinciano&change_language=1

The web site has a little calendar marking the days with available tours.

Don't get discouraged, though. Call anyway, they just might have last minute cancellations.

If your S.O. is the tightfisted kind, just GO anyway.

In the first place the adjoining church is a Renaissance marvel in and of itself, and has an apse the design of which is attributed to Bramante. "Who cares?," I hear you ask. You should care: he's the guy who, right after designing this apse, fled Milan just ahead of the invading French troops (their leader thought HE should be duke of Milan), made a bee line for papal Rome (popes and cardinals with bucks to spend on art and architecture commissions, he and lots of other artists of all sorts were no dummies), where he erected the little "Tempietto," considered the watershed structure for High Renaissance architecture.

In the second place, if there's only one, or two, of you, then you just might be able to squeeze into a group, or they might have last minute cancellations.

If you'd rather not traipse all the way out to the church (it's not that far, really, and the n. 16 tram stops right in front of it) not knowing whether, or not, you'll be able to get in to see the "Last Supper" (called the "Cenacolo" in Italian), then you have the option of participating in a (at E.55, a bit pricey, but worth it...one presumes that includes all the entrance fees!) morning, or afternoon, tour of all the highlights of Milan, which includes entry into the "Last Supper."

The company AUTOSTRADALE organizes morning and afternoon tours of Milan by bus. In addition to the "Last Supper," you'll be taken to see other important highlights (some varying depending on the days and on whether you take the morning, or afternoon, tour, but always including the Sforza Castle, the Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, one of my favorite places in Milan).

http://www.autostradale.it

Tel. +39-02.7200.1304 (if you're calling from inside Milan, start with the "02")

ENJOY!

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