Planning a visit to see The Last Supper (the Cenacolo Vinciano) on the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death is must for any visitor to Milan interested in Renaissance art. The eclectic artist and inventor left his mark in Venice, Florence and elsewhere, but Milan was his home and workshop for many years, the place where his boundless intelligence and creativity was allowed to flourish unlike anywhere else. To pay our respects to the man who has become synonymous with genius, let’s explore the options for getting tickets to the artwork and consider some choice spots for a lunch or dinner break while you’re there.
First, a little backstory
Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper was completed in 1498, four years after the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Maria Sforza (also known as “Il Moro”), commissioned it. Sforza designated the Santa Maria delle Grazie church in Milan as the primary location for celebrations honoring his powerful family. Leonardo da Vinci was hired to decorate the walls of the refectory and, driven by his relentless creative urges, launched himself madly into producing a work that was unique in its genre, which was later reproduced countless times in Italy and elsewhere. Even though the copies never matched the virtuosity of the original, they were essential for centuries as a way for the world to see the colors and forms intended by da Vinci.
With his peculiar panel painting technique (oil tempera made with eggs and oil thinners on top of a base of rough plaster, a mixture of calcium carbonate and magnesium compounded with a protein binder), Leonardo da Vinci obtained luminous effects and a great richness of detail. Unfortunately, to allow himself more time to work the details of his painting, he tried this rather new technique on dry plaster (frescoes were usually painted on still wet plaster, so you had to rush). As a result, the magnificent painting encounter problems from the outset, both due to the dampness of the walls and the frequent temperature spikes caused by the adjoining kitchens. The splendor of his work began to fade almost immediately, and well-intentioned fixes by various artists over the centuries undermined its great value.
The great restoration
As it would be unthinkable to lose such an artistic treasure, repairs eventually had to be made. The longest, most challenging art restoration project in history brought together scientists, art critics and restoration experts from around the world in a massive endeavor that lasted from 1977 to 1999. It took more than 20 years to recover the original beauty of the work that had suffered so much tampering, but the work revealed priceless details like the Apostles’ feet under the table, John’s face, and the hole from a nail the artist set in Christ’s head to plot the perspective of the scene.
Then entrepreneur Oscar Farinetti, the founder of Eataly, won the 2018-2019 CULTURE + BUSINESS prize in Milan for a project dubbed “Such a supper must not be lost!” and was endorsed by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities. An upgraded climate control and air purification system now pumps around 350,000 cubic feet of clean air into the Santa Maria delle Grazie refectory every day, compared to about 125,000 previously. This effort will allow Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper to endure for another 500 years and be seen by a growing number of visitors (up 30% in the first three years since the restoration) without damage from the fine dust that everyone brings in.
Where to get tickets to Leonardo's Last Supper
The Last Supper, which UNESCO declared a World Heritage site in 1980, has always been one of the top art destinations in Italy. In 2017, 416,337 visitors came to see it, making it the 16th most visited museum site in the country. At least once in a lifetime, everyone should enter the otherwise-barren refectory in the Santa Maria delle Grazie church to be dumbstruck by the brilliant painting, which is also imposingly large: about 29 feet wide by 15 feet tall.
You have to make reservations in advance to see The Last Supper. Protecting Leonardo’s masterpiece requires ideal environmental conditions secured by indoor air treatment and special procedures to grant access to visitors, admitted in 25-person groups for no longer than 15 minutes. Keep in mind that the viewing hours are Tuesday through Sunday from 8:15 a.m. to 7 p.m. (the last entrance of the day is at 4:45 p.m.). The fixed cost of a reservation is 2 euros.
If you opt for an online visit, we recommend the official website of the Cenacolo Vinciano Museum on the Lombardy Regional Museum’s platform, through which you can buy admission tickets from the official reseller, VivaTicket. Relatively few tickets are available compared to the demand, so don’t expect to stop in soon after your request. There is now a long-awaited timetable for scheduled purchases. For instance, tickets for October and November went on sale in late July. If you find this daunting, you can also contact a human being by telephone. From Monday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., you can reserve or buy admission tickets to the Cenacolo Vinciano by calling the toll-free number +39 800-990-084 or the toll number +39 02 92800360.
An alternative that will cost more is using reliable third parties like agencies or other partners that have been recognized either nationally or by the regional government. For example, the Touring Club suggests its partner site Musement, which will charge about €45 to free you from waiting in line and book a guided tour for you (the original price is €12 euros). Another example is Eataly, which goes beyond restoration support and offers a way to enjoy an in-depth experience. It includes dinner at Eataly, then access to the refectory for 30 minutes instead of the usual 15 during evening hours or days the museum is closed, complete with an expert describing the origin, history and secrets of the work.
Where to eat near The Last Supper
Leonardo da Vinci’s great work hangs on the refectory wall in the Santa Maria delle Grazie church in Milan’s Magenta Area, very close to the Cadorna railway station and the Conciliazione metro stop. Nearby there are plenty of opportunities for a delicious meal.