Ciao!
Today is the 1st October 2015, and I am currently on the bus to Verona.
When we arrived in Milan, we were met with a number of skyscrapers and commercial buildings - a huge change from La Spezia, to say the least! We checked into our hotel, Hotel Sempione, but our rooms weren't ready, so we left our bags with the porter and headed out. Along the way, we saw the famous Teatro della Scala, the five-star Hotel Armani, and the Quadrilatero d'Oro. When we reached the Duomo, we saw a family grabbing the pigeons and trying to hold them; it was disgusting and shocking. But alas, we took a photo and then tried to find a place for lunch. We went to Il Mercato del Duomo and I ordered a peach ice tea and a Pizza con Bufala e Pomodoro - focaccia with buffalo mozzarella, pesto and tomato - from the Bistrot. It was delicious! Mrs L let us taste her sweet focaccia as well, which was equally as delicious! We then went inside the Duomo at our scheduled 2pm entrance. There, we saw some stained glass windows and the tombs of some key bishops of Milan, where I lit a candle. Next, we visited the tomb of Carlo (Charles) Borromeo, underneath the Duomo. We then explored the other side of the Duomo; there was an ornate painting of Mary with child, where I lit another candle. Once we'd finished, we headed to the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie - St Mary of Grace - where we saw a number of frescoes and statues of saints. We then saw the Last Supper painting, which was a lot larger than I thought it would be! At this point, we had a tour guide. She told us that Leonardo da Vinci essentially used the wrong technique; he was an experimenter, and decided not to paint a fresco but to use oil paints on the wall - a nightmare when it comes to preservation and restoration! The first damage to the painting occurred only 20 years after da Vinci finished it! The painting was in the refectory of the Dominican monastery, on the wall between the refectory and the kitchen. At one point, the Dominicans decided to enlarge the door, and so got rid of Jesus' feet. Later, they used it as a stable, and so the painting was further damaged. However, the painting was the most damaged during WWII, when a bomb landed on the church and monastery. With no money to fix it, the Italians left the painting out in the open for about 20 years. From the 70s to the 90s, a major restoration project was underway, as they tried to recover this priceless piece of art history. We also learnt a lot about the painting itself from our guide. Firstly, the painting is done so that it looks like a continuation of the refectory; even the windows and direction of light matches that of the refectory! Jesus is in the centre of the painting in a triangular shape - no disciple is touching him. Our guide also pointed out each disciple by name. In the painting, Peter is identified by the knife in his hand, as he is ready to kill the betrayer. Judas has a bag of money in his hand and has knocked over some salt - a sign of bad luck. Jesus' left palm is facing up, a sign of his Divinity and his acceptance of his impending death. His right palm is facing down, a sign of his mortality and rejection of his death. His hands are also gesturing to bread and wine, two of the key elements of the Last Supper. His right hand is also reaching to the same plate as Judas, whose hands are in the same position as Jesus'; in this way, da Vinci makes reference to another key element of the Last Supper story, where Jesus said that whoever was doing the same gestures as him was the betrayer. Thus, by the simple placement of Jesus' hands, da Vinci made reference to a number of the key elements of the Last Supper and Jesus' crucifixion. Our guide also squished a number of rumours or "mysteries" surrounding the painting. Firstly, the disciple sitting next to Jesus cannot possibly be Mary Magdalene, as otherwise there wouldn't be twelve, and the Dominicans would not have approved of a woman in the image. Secondly, the wine is in a glass cup instead of a chalice or something from Jesus' time as it was quite common for Renaissance artists to include elements/motifs from their own time to make it easier for their audience to understand/comprehend the image. Thirdly, the disciple that looks somewhat like a sketch of Leonardo da Vinci is not a self portrait, as da Vinci was much younger when he painted the Last Supper. Our guide also told us all about da Vinci's models. There is a rumour that Judas was modelled after one of the higher people in the monastery, as he'd been told to go faster and Leonardo da Vinci preferred to take his time; this, however, is just a rumour, as we have no way of knowing what he looked like. Leonardo da Vinci also used the same model for Jesus and James, as they were said to be brothers/cousins so they probably looked alike. Furthermore, the still life on the table was incredibly detailed - right down to the transparency of the glasses! The painting was quite magnificent, and the restoration was amazing! The symbolism was incredible, and enriched my understanding of this incredible work of art! I was so glad I had the opportunity to see it. There was also a fresco of the crucifixion on the opposite wall of the refectory; images of the Sforza family had been added by da Vinci (as they were his patrons), but - due to da Vinci's wrong technique - they have deteriorated significantly. Nonetheless, it was incredible to see these masterpieces in real life. Once we were finished, we toured the outside of the Church. Around the Church, they have the crests of important Milanese political figures/families, as well as saints; in this way, one can see the mixing of politics and religion that occurred in the Middle Ages and through the Renaissance. We also saw the Tribune and the monastery's cloisters. Once our tour finished, we walked past the Duomo and a boulevard covered with international flags for the Expo back to our hotel. I'm sure we got lost again, but I suppose it wasn't such a big deal. We freshened up at the hotel before going to dinner, where we had pasta with tomato sauce and bacon, some kind of strange meat - or maybe fish, I have no idea - with salad and chips, and then crema ice cream. To be honest, lunch was a thousand times better than dinner, but at least the pasta was really good. We then went back to our hotel to go to bed - I shared my room with three others, which was definitely a shock!
Today began with breakfast: bread with ham, cream-filled croissants, strawberry yogurt, a banana, and pineapple juice. We then boarded the bus, ad now we're on our way to Verona.
Our time in Milan was fun, and I really liked seeing the Last Supper painting in real life!
Until next time, ciao!