The Last Supper

Without my week being crazy enough with a weekend in Florence, and then catching an Inter Milan game I decided to throw one more thing on the list, The Last Supper. Housed here in Milan, in the Santa Maria della Grazie church, only a 5 minute walk from my school campus! 

Well... I didn't exactly just plan this last minute either I have had tickets for over a month now. Time slots sell out fast and they only allow 30 people in every 15 minutes. It seems like a lot, but it really isn't when you consider all of the people who make a stop in Milan just to see this painting. 

I tried to pass for an EU student with my Cattolica ID but they didn't buy it, again my little American face gave me away. I was still able to see the painting I just had to pay a bit more, and it was worth every penny I paid. It's always surreal to see famous painting like these in real life.  

Out in the courtyard before seeing the painting 

Santa Maria della Grazie church

The painting technique was done differently on this painting than the usual frescoes of the time. The technique used gave Davinci more time to structure the painting and fix mistakes but it made the painting really fragile. For this reason they are very strict with the lighting and the heating of the room which is also why they only allow a certain number of people to see it at a time. The painting doesn't look nearly like the photos that you see because of the amount of deterioration. Many of the faces are blurred and the paint is faded. 

This photo is pretty accurate as to what the painting actually looks like today

 I was in a group of about 20 school kids, and maybe 5 other people. The painting itself is really incredible even with the decay that it has suffered. It is such a shame the degree of vandalism and destruction that has happened to the painting over the years. Another reason that I couldn't pass up seeing the painting while I was here. Who knows what the painting will look like in another 25 years? I was blown away by the amount of detail that you could still see in the painting even with all of the decay. 

After seeing the painting I started paying more attention to the beauty of Milan that surrounds me. Even though we have had a rainy past couple of days the flowers and trees are starting to bloom and we have some beautiful weather on the way for the weekend. The weather always seems to be nice when i'm not here... 

This weekend I am on my way to Sicily! I can't wait to get to warm weather and beaches! I've gotten some really fantastic reviews from friends who have been there and I can't wait to see some Greek ruins, and spend some time in the Mediterranean sun!