The Last Supper (Il Cenacolo)

The Last Supper — Il Cenacolo — by Leonardo da Vinci covers an entire end wall of the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, painted between 1495 and 1498 at the commission of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. The work measures 8.8 by 4.6 metres and depicts the moment immediately following Christ's announcement that one of his disciples would betray him, capturing twelve distinct emotional reactions in a single freeze-framed composition that revolutionised how narrative scenes were represented in Western art. Leonardo abandoned traditional fresco technique in favour of tempera and oil on a dry plaster ground — a choice that allowed him to work more slowly and revise the painting, but which also caused deterioration to begin almost immediately after completion. By the 18th century the work was described as 'a blurred stain.' A 21-year restoration completed in 1999 stabilised the surface and recovered significant detail. Today visitors see a fragile but legible composition in which Leonardo's use of perspective — the vanishing point placed behind Christ's right temple — draws the eye to the central figure while the architecture of the painted room continues the real architecture of the refectory walls. Entry is strictly controlled: only 25 people are admitted per 15-minute slot, with the room maintained at controlled humidity and temperature. No phones, no bags, no exceptions — these are searched and held in a security antechamber. Tickets must be booked two to three months in advance through the official Cenacolo Vinciano website. The visit itself lasts 15 minutes in the room; pre-visit and post-visit areas explain the restoration.