Day Three in Northern Italy
Milano and the Last Supper
The Duomo and a Climb to the Top
Carravaggio a Milano
Opera at La Scala
I didn't sleep that well. Too much food on the stomach. Woke up after having a bad dream that our house burned down.
We had breakfast at nine. Yogurt and cereal. Scrambled eggs on toast. Fruit. Fresh-baked fruit bread. Salami. Cheese. Coffee. Basically the same as yesterday.
Tim came out again and we did the trip plan for the day. Down the A10 to the A7 then off to a parking structure in Milan and then the Metro from the Famagosta station into town.
Heading out in tankarooney.
Bricca Cravera. The lane into Villa Sampaguita
We left Villa Sampaguita at about 10 as our Last Supper appointment was at 12:45. It would probably take about an hour and a half to get there park and then metro in. I did realize once we got going that I did forget my Michelin map which would later come to cause us a little problem The super strada part of the trip was no problem but we did run into trouble at the parking structure. Cars were lined up at the gates to get in and it appeared that one had to come out before another could come in. Whe we finally got to the front our gate never did open. An Italian guy came up and talked into the help box and we eventually got in. Christine was even able to pick up a ticket from the parking window in the station. I forgot my camera and had to go back to the car but it really wasn't a problem. We took Line 2 directly to the Cadorna station and then walked from there.
La Cenacolo
With the map Tim provided it was no trouble finding the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie which houses La Cenacolo. I think we arrived about 12:15 or so.
Plenty of time to spare. The woman at the counter could not find our tickets at first but i soon noticed my name was in the packet in her hand and all was well. Never did figure out what the problem was. We also bought the headsets so we were set. it is quite a controlled operation. At 12:30 we entered the first anteroom and then at our appointment time they checked our tickets and then we went into the first glassed in room. Once we were in there for a couple of minutes the doors opened and we went into the second room and finally at 12:45 we were allowed into the room where Da Vinci's Last Supper actually was.
The Last Supper was painted in the ambit of the extensive artistic and cultural revival that from 1490 involved Milan, under the patronage of Ludovico Sforza - "il Moro". The Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie was fully involved and in 1495, when Donato Montorfano was completing his Crucifixion for the Refectory, Leonardo was commissioned by the Duke to decorate the facing wall with a Last Supper. The commission is documented by the coats of arms that appear within plant garlands in the four lunettes above the "Supper" and are a reminder of the names of Ludovico, Beatrice and their children.
The Last Supper was quite slow in evolving despite the urgings of Ludovico Sforza and the prior. It actually took Leonardo about four years (1494-1498) with the dry or tempera technique he had decided to use, as if it had been a great tablet (4.60x8.80m). First of all he decided not to apply the consolidated fresco technique, which offered assurances for conservation, but was time-consuming to spread. What Leonardo required was the utmost freedom during the executive stage in order to correct, modify and achieve special color effects. Moreover, the fresco technique was irreconcilable with his bizarre temperament that led him to alternate periods of intense activity with others of total rest, as related by Matteo Bandello, who was a guest of the convent fathers and often saw Leonardo at work.
Although The Last Supper was a traditional theme used to decorate convent refectories, especially in Florence (memorable are those by Taddeo Gaddi, Beato Angelico, Andrea del Castagno and Ghirlandaio), Leonardo presented the subject in a completely innovative form. Not only did he make drastic modifications to the layout of the scene, but also the true novelty was the astounding realism with which he recounted this episode from the Gospels.
It really was incredible to see again even though we had seen in several years ago.
We came out promptly at 1 and headed tot he metro to get to the Milan Duomo. We got on the red line at Conciliazione and went direct to the Duomo stop where we came out right in the middle of the piazza in front of the Duomo.
The Duomo and to the Top
Our first view as we exited the Metro.
We went right in and headed immediately for our favorite-the 16th century statue of St. Bartholmew who was flayed and had his skin drapped over his back. We had seen it last time after Gary recommended it to us. He had been deeply moved by this martyr of the faith.
from Frommers
When Milanese think something is taking too long, they refer to it as la fabricca del duomo -- the making of the Duomo, a reference to the 5 centuries it took to complete the magnificent Gothic cathedral that rises from the center of the city. (This turn of phrase could also describe the church's recent 5-year renovation, which kept the building behind scaffolding until 2007.) The last of Italy's great Gothic structures -- begun by the ruling Visconti family in 1386 -- is the fourth-largest church in the world (after St. Peter's in Rome, Seville's cathedral, and a new one on the Ivory Coast), with 135 marble spires, a stunning triangular facade, and 3,400-some statues flanking the massive but airy, almost fanciful exterior.
Next we went to find the way to climb up to the roof. We found it but it didn't open until ten minutes later at about 2. So we waited, paid the five euro each for the privilege of getting worn out and winded and then headed up. Christine and I love climbing these kind of things and it was a real treat seeing all the spires up so close.
We had a sandwich in a quick lunch place across the street in the big mall and then a gelato. Our first of this trip.
Caravaggio a Milano
Then we headed off to find the Caravaggio exhibit that was nearby in the Palazzo Marino. We had seen signs that there was a Caravaggio exhibit and I found that it was close after look at a map in the bookstore. The painting that was displayed was the Conversion of Paul. It is part of the Odescalchi Barbi Collection. Not the one that we had seen in Roma at Santa Maria del Popolo. The place where we had heard them playing "Memory" from Cats while serving the Eucharist.
We found exactly where it was when we excited the mall it was right in the square across from La Scala. There was a line out front so I went right over and we jumped in it. It was free but apparently they monitored how many got to go in and how long you could stay. We stood out front for a bout 20 minute and then got right in. There was a checkpoint where they asked me to leave my backpack and then a big poster room divider that we couldn't read because it was all in Italian. We then realized that we had to pass through a curtained door to get into where the painting was. We then got into another line that snaked around but you could actually see the painting and the people standing in front of it. In two groups we were in front o the painting. WE had to work our way to the front as all the old Italian ladies wouldn't budge. But it was definitely worth the wait. They even had free postcards and bookmarks out front. The hall was exquisitely beautiful and even had classical music playing in the background.
from Arcadja Art magazine
A truly extraordinary occasion opened up on the 16th November in Milan to end on the 14th December. Indeed, in the Sala Alessi of Palazzo Marino a wonderful and unfortunately hardly known work by Caravaggio will be exhibited: “The Conversion of Saul”. A work that proves to be the only relevant example of painting on panel by the great Lombard master. Executed in 1601, it has had a rather tormented history. It was commissioned by Tiberio Cerasi for his personal chapel in S. Maria del Popolo in Rome, where the work was never exposed due to the protracting of the works and to the sudden death of the cardinal himself. Afterwards, it ended up in Spain, was then bought by the Balbi family from Genoa and finally, in the Fifties, it returned by way of heredity to Rome as the “pearl” of the Odescalchi collection. Besides the complicated destiny surrounding its ownership, there is also the issue about the historical and intellectual figure of Saul, then Saint Paul, fulcrum of the painting. In the history of iconography, Saul of Tarsus is a character with a curious destiny. Central figure in the expansion of Christianity, at the time when the Middle Ages were celebrating the powerful magisterium of the Church, there was no room for him, as he was seen as an excessively philosophical figure. It was not until the Renaissance that Saul could go back to being the central point of intellectual and pictorial elaboration. And it was Michelangelo Merisi called Caravaggio who seized pictorially the greatness of this historical character, proving to be able to develop religious art with a human content. The “Conversion of Saul” will be on view in Milan, venue in 1951 of the great exhibition dedicated to Caravaggio curated by Roberto Longhi who attributed the work to him, in the middle of the Sala Alessi of the Town Hall. Just one masterpiece to give life to an exceptional exhibition. Sponsored by Eni; restored by Valeria Merlini and Daniela Storti with the contribution of princess Nicoletta Odescalchi, owner of this invaluable painting, strongly wanted by the mayor of Milan Letizia Moratti to represent a Lombard spirit that marries past and present and anticipates the celebrations of Caravaggio in 2010, four hundred years after his death. Insured for about 60 million euros, the painting travelled along secondary roads, under armed guard, inside a lorry and packed in a double case. In other, words a truly exceptional journey from princess Odescalchi’s residence in Rome to Milan guaranteed the integrity of this work. In the Sala Alessi it has been placed inside a particular showcase that guarantees ideal conditions of temperature (20 degrees) and humidity (50-60 per cent) to the painting on wood, a cypress panel made by seven boards glued horizontally. The patent of the special showcase is the one drawn up four years ago for Leonardo’s Gioconda. Restored in 2006, the panel was displayed for a brief period next to the second version of the Conversion at a height of three metres. Instead, in the Milanese exhibition Caravaggio’s masterpiece will be displayed at eye level and this will allow spectators to appreciate the accuracy of the restoration. “It was very dirty, now we have a beautiful painting full of very high-quality details. With one aspect that stands out: the extreme variety of colours”, declared Rossella Vodret, superintendent to the historical-artistic heritage of Lazio. While Valeria Merlini, restorer of the work, already author of various jobs on paintings by Canaletto, Giulio Romano and other “caravaggisti” claimed: “This is an exceptional painting because it is the only one of relevant dimensions realised on panel by Caravaggio. We have done a thorough monitoring job of its support and surface, which had turned yellow due to the use of organic paints. All the perspective levels were compromised, everything seemed flattened”. Merlini continued: “We took photos, radiographies and carbon-14 on the edges, that we chose to leave slightly darker for a matter of culture of the image”. Now the “Conversion of Saul” can be admired in all its splendour by the Milanese.
I Heard Opera at La Scala
Next we crossed the square and went over to La Scala. It was closed last time we were in Milan and it has always been a dream of mine to one day see an opera at La Scala.
The museum cost five euro and we decided to go for it. I was hoping we would actually get to see the theatre itself but didn't actually think we would. As soon as we walked up the stairs there was a sign that directed us over to the theatre (Yes!) And gloriously and unbelievably we not only got to go into a box to see the theatre but they were actually rehearsing an opera. I was seeing a live opera a la Scala! I asked a few questions and it turned out it was Don Carlo they were rehearsing. Apparently it opens on November 27. At one point I coounted 27 singers on stage. We even say the diva sing a portion of a number with the full orchestra. For me it ws magical. We then went to walk through the museum but a guy came and told us they had turned the house lights on so we scurried back to be sure we got to see the full theatre in light. This time we got to go into a box tht did not have glass in it so we really got the full effect. I do not believe that there is a bad seat in that place.
This was part of the actual set we saw them rehearsing on.
Getting Lost and Finding Our Way
We then headed back to the Metro and had to change trains to get back to line one and our car at the Famagosta station. We paid and found the car and were off on the A7. We all fell asleep and somehow Christine missed the turn off to our super strada back home. We finally got off at a gas station, they filled up and I figured out how to get us back on course. To read the map I had to use a little cart as a step stool! No harm. No foul. we found our way back and stopped at a roadside service station/restaurant and bought sandwiches for dinner. I knew we didn't want to mess with anything once we got home.
Chillin' at the Villa
We were back at Villa Samaguita by 7, ate our sandwiches and have been chillin'. Christine took a nap in front of the fire and Sue anf Zoe and I have been sitting down here reading and writing. We opened a bottle of the Dolcetto d' Alba and have been having a relaxing evening.
Tomorrow is Turino. It should be great too.
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