We take the 6:00am train from Turin to Milan. From the railway station a short taxi ride brings us to the Santa Maria delle Grazie which houses da Vinci's Last Supper. It is notoriously difficult to get tickets because of its popularity but we managed to secure some before leaving Sydney. It isn't too busy when we arrive possibly due to being so early in the morning and we are moved forward to the 8:15 tour. At that time our group is ushered into the centre of a double door system which keeps the temperature and moisture stable. With everyone inside, the second lot of doors slowly slide open to reveal a large room inside the monastery. What an amazing experience to actually be able to see the painting! No photos of course.
It's in better condition than I had imaged having suffered terrible neglect in the past. The painting covers the entire wall at the end of the original refectory (dining room). Napolean's soldiers amused themselves by throwing stones at it and in 1650 a doorway was cut through the wall removing part of the painting. When a bomb was dropped on the church in 1943 amazingly the wall remained standing. By some miracle it has survived everything and has been carefully restored and looked after ever since. The perspective is amazing with every detail directing you to Christ in the centre of the compostion. As always we exit through the bookshop.
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| Roof detail |
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| A service was being conducted at the Cathedral |
Next stop is Milan's cathedral. The second largest Catholic Cathedral in the world. Along with many others we climb the stairs (well, I actually went in the lift :) to the roof. There are literally hundreds of spires, pinnacles and statues. The main spire is 109 metres high. A unique experience being able to walk right around the roof and see everything up close.
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| Bikes for hire in Milan. |
We return to Turin by train which takes around an hour and head for the Egyptian Musem which has the largest collection of Egyptian artefacts outside of Egypt. There a several floors of really interesting exhibitions and really popular with a lot of visitors. Dinner that night with Sharon's work colleague. |
| A very agile dancer |
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| A rather kind looking lion |
Next: A day in Turin.
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