247
lo’s final work, the shockingly modern, Ron- guided tour €69; h 7.15pm & 8pm) guided,
danini Pietà. after-hours tour which allows an extended
Situated behind the castle, Parco Sempi- 30-minute visit.
one (Map p250; h 6.30am-nightfall; m Cadorna,
Cairoli) F is the green lung of the city oMuseo Nazionale della
landscaped with winding paths and orna- Scienza e della Tecnologia MUSEUM
mental ponds, and overlooked by Giò Pon- (Map p244; % 02 48 55 51; www.museoscienza.
ti’s spindly, 1933 Torre Branca tower (Map org; Via San Vittore 21; adult/child €10/7, subma-
p244; % 02 331 41 20; lift €4; h 9.30am-midnight rine tour €8; h 9.30am-5pm Tue-Fri, to 6.30pm
Tue & Thu, 10.30am-12.30pm, 4-6.30pm & 9.30pm- Sat, Sun & holidays; m Sant’Ambrogio) Kids,
midnight Wed, 2.30-6pm & 9.30pm-midnight Fri, would-be inventors and geeks will go
10.30am-2pm, 2.30-7.30pm & 9.30pm-midnight goggle-eyed at Milan’s impressive museum
Sat & Sun May–mid-Oct, shorter hours in winter; of science and technology, the largest of its
m Cadorna). kind in Italy. It is a fitting tribute in a city
where arch-inventor Leonardo da Vinci did
o The Last Supper much of his finest work. The 16th-century
(Il Cenacolo Vinciano) MURAL monastery, where it is housed, features a
(Map p244; % 02 8942 1146; www.architettonici collection of more than 10,000 items, in-
Mil an & the L akes M
milano.lombardia.beniculturali.it; adult/reduced cluding models based on da Vinci’s engi-
€6.50/3.25, booking fee €1.50; m Cadorna- neering sketches, halls devoted to the sci-
Triennale) Milan’s most famous mural, Leonar- ences of physics, astronomy and horology,
do da Vinci’s The Last Supper (Il Cenacolo), is and outdoor hangars housing steam trains,
hidden away on a wall of the refectory adjoin- planes, full-sized galleons and Italy’s first
ing the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie submarine.
(Corso Magenta; h 8.30am-7pm Tue-Sun; m Concili-
azione, Cadorna) F. Depicting Christ and his oChiesa di San Maurizio CHAPEL, CONVENT
disciples at the dramatic moment when Christ (Map p250; Corso Magenta 15; h 9am-noon &
Milan
S
reveals he is aware of the betrayal afoot, it is a 2-5.30pm Tue-Sun; m Cadorna-Triennale) The
iIgL hts
masterful psychological study and one of the 16th-century royal chapel and convent of
AN
world’s most iconic images. San Maurizio is Milan’s hidden crown jew-
Restoration of Il Cenacolo was complet- el, every inch of it covered in Bernardino
ed in 1999 after more than 22 years’ work. Luini’s breathtaking frescoes. Many of them
The mural was in a lamentable state after immortalise the star of Milan’s literary
centuries of damage. Da Vinci himself is scene at the time, Ippolita Sforza, and her
partly to blame: his experimental mix of family. Duck through a small doorway on
oil and tempera was applied between 1495 the left to enter the secluded convent hall
and 1498, rather than within a week as is where blissful martyred women saints bear
typical of fresco techniques. The Domini- their tribulations serenely – note Santa Lu-
cans didn’t help matters in 1652 by rais- cia calmly holding her lost eyes, and Santa
ing the refectory floor, hacking off a lower Agata casually carrying her breasts on a
section of the scene, including Jesus’ feet. platter.
The most damage was caused by restor- Civico Museo Archeologico MUSEUM
ers in the 19th century, whose alcohol and (Map p250; % 02 8844 5208; Corso Magenta
cotton-wool technique removed an entire 15; adult/child €2/1; h 9am-5.30pm Tue-Sun;
layer. But its condition does nothing to m Cadorna-Triennale) Adjoining the church
lessen its astonishing beauty. Stare at the of San Maurizio is the 9th-century Mon-
ethereal, lucent windows beyond the nar- astero Maggiore, once the most important
rative action and you’ll wonder if da Vinci’s Benedictine convent in the city and now the
uncharacteristic short-sightedness wasn’t backdrop for the archaeological museum.
divinely inspired. Accessed via a cloister where fragments
When he was at work on the master- of the city’s Roman walls can be seen, and
piece a star-struck monk noted that he through the 3rd-century frescoed Ansperto
would sometimes arrive in the morning, Tower, it provides great insight into old Me-
stare at yesterday’s effort, then promptly diolanum with well-curated collections of
call it quits for the day. Your visit too will Etruscan, Greek, Roman, Gothic and Lom-
be similarly brief (15 minutes) unless you bard artefacts.
invest in Tickitaly’s (www.tickitaly.com;
