Even though I remember well the hours of walking through Florence, I knew I would have to tough it out once again for these first few days exploring Milan. Three days in, my feet are covered in blisters and bug bites that swell up to the size of quarters, and yet, there is so much to do and see that I keep on going out every day to take it all in.
The Church of Santa Maria Delle Grazie (to the right is the refectory with "The Last Supper"
Yesterday Steve and I visited perhaps the most famous of Milan's attractions, Leonardo Da Vinci's "Last Supper." We booked our tickets several weeks ago, knowing that was the only way we had a chance of seeing it. The painting is well-known and has been recreated over and over again, even though it has deteriorated a great deal, due to Leonardo's dry tempera painting technique (unlike true fresco, where the paint chemically bonds with the wet plaster beneath it). Still, when we stepped into the room where it is housed (the rectory of the church of Santa Maria Delle Grazie), it still made me catch my breath. It is bigger than I imagined, and the atmospheric background behind the head of Christ still seems to glow. The 1-point linear perspective is immaculate, and directs the viewer's eye directly to the figure of Christ. We were only given 15 minutes to view this masterpiece before being ushered out quickly, but I used every last minute to stand in awe of the "Last Supper." No photography was allowed, but the memory of it, and how I felt when I saw it, will stay with me forever.
Other sights from today and yesterday included a walk along the Naviglio Grande (Milan's Grand Canal), a visit to the Science and Technology Museum (which houses replicas of Leonardo Da Vinci's many inventions), and even a soccer game! We bought matching jersies and went with Steve's two co-workers to an Inter-Milan game at the city stadium. This soccer game wasn't originally on my to-do list, but I'm glad we went. :-)
The enormous stadium, with a view of the city behind it.
Sporting our Inter-Milan jersies. :-)
This was definitely the wild side of the stadium. They were waving enormous flags and firing flares. Thankfully, Inter-Milan won, so we didn't have to experience an Italian riot. :-)
The Naviglio Grande
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