Ciao! 

  

Today we took an early morning train to Milan! 

 

Once in Milan, we took a walking tour of the most contemporary city in Italy. We paused at Piazza Gae Aulenti to view the many skyscrapers, including the magnificent Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) and Unipol Tower. 

   

We then walked to Castello Sforzesco and took a brief tour of the courtyards. The castle was used as a military stronghold and a Renaissance stronghold. 

After, we walked to the Duomo di Milano, a Gothic marvel and the largest church in Italy. The marble appeared pink in the sun, and the outside features over 3,400 statues including a dinosaur(???)! We admired the outside for a little moment with the pigeons before heading inside for our guided tour. We saw the world’s largest stain glass windows and the statue of Saint Bartholomew Flayed. 

We reconvened after a brief lunch before getting to see Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper”. The history of its preservation was very interesting! During World War II, sandbags were placed in front of the work, which saved it because the roof and adjacent walls of the room were destroyed. This work was done differently than other similar works from the period. The typical technique was the frescos, when the paint was applied onto a wet layer of plaster and the pigment would sink in, but with this, the painter had to be quick. Da Vinci liked to take his time on his works, The Last Supper one taking 3-4 years, so he painted on dry plaster, meaning the pigment was separate from the plaster. The famous piece was originally in the cafeteria of the monastery, the doorway under the painting leading to the kitchen. Mold and other damages were caused by daily use of the room, and little of the remaining art is part of the original done by Leonardo da Vinci.We then had some free time to ourselves, some groups opting to do some window shopping at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, others exploring the area surrounding the Duomo (including the official Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics megastore!!). 

We then all met back up to go to the train station, taking the late train back to Florence and doing some stretching.