Our last day in Italy- but, as Macarthur said, or was it Schwarzenegger? - we'll be back.

We started with a wander around the Brera, a more traditional, less corporate arty area not far from the Sforza Castle. It is all very subdued - antique shops, leather shops etc - lacking either the edge of the big fashion houses or the energy we were hoping for - the Newtown meets Brunswick Street thing we see in Australia. Maybe we were just in the wrong streets.

Then it was time for our carefully choreographed, separate visits to see the Last Supper. You may recall we couldn't get two places together in any of the tours during our stay, so we snared two separate tours an hour apart, with different starting points, and, as it turns out, different itineraries- but both with that precious 15 minutes with the master. We're both delighted that we didn't miss this opportunity. Everything about the painting - so little appreciated, like its creator,for so long- is captivating. The process of its creation, the use of daring new techniques, its near loss to time, war, neglect and ham fisted "restoration", its current wonderful state of preservation and the depth of its symbolism. Wow!

Anne's tour took her to three churches and a museum while mine focused on Leonardo and the Sforzas , including their castle, which we had seen yesterday, so I baled out early to get back to meet Anne at the cafe opposite Santa Maria Delle Grazie. A tram and a walk and some last minute shopping and we were back "home" for a rest before dinner. Despite the day's seemingly leisurely pace I racked up 14.7 km according to the trusty Jawbone- 19,682 steps. Anne probably did about 11km. The daily average for the last seven days of walking since we arrived in Milan has been 16,911 steps , or about 12.9 km. We are praying that this has gone some way to redressing the calorie intake in the form of brioche, gelato, pasta, pizza and wine!

It is probably time for a few thoughts by way of wrapping up our Italian experience this time. Certainly we have a better understanding of some of the routines around travel, purchasing etc than we did a few years ago, and a good basic grasp of the language has been a great help. Each of our three major destinations had its own attraction. Probably Lake Como/ Varenna gets the biggest tick for its sheer charm and beauty. We loved the ambience of Bologna and its scale - it was big enough to give diversity and small enough to get your head around. Milan was harder to love as a totality, but its individual powerhouse attractions - the Duomo and the Last Supper make it a destination in its own right- not to mention the memorable San Siro. Everywhere we went the food was great, the people were friendly (with the possible exception of one Treno Nord attendant), the weather was kind and our landlords were gracious. Grazie a tutti! Next stop Dubai and Anthony, Jayne and the clan- business class thanks to them!