Driving out of Bellagio around Lake Como was breathtaking.
We stopped in Milano at the Santa Maria delle Grazie to see Leonardo DaVinci's Last Supper.
Wow. These masterpieces are famous for a reason. I thought it would be a framed painting, but it took up an entire wall. Because the medium Leonardo used was an experiment, it is not ideal for preserving. Groups go through several temperature-controlled spaces before entering the former convent dining hall (the use of the room at the time The Last Supper was painted.)
During WWII the convent was bombed and nearly completely destroyed and burned. It was rebuilt showing what walls survived the bombing, and what walls were rebuilt. The rebuilt walls were kept completely white as a contrast. Notice how The Last Supper fared:
Untouched. It was the only wall of the room standing or unburned. Notice the doorway that was added at some point. It was to connect the kitchen with the dining hall. Soon they noticed that the heat of the kitchen was causing the paint to crack and peel away from behind, so the kitchen was moved or was not used anymore (I don't remember the details.)
The colors and details were magnificent in every way. There was a deep reverence about it. I'm so glad we made the effort to see it.
We drove on, getting closer to the place we called home for a year. We passed this route many times back then, and the glimpses of the Mediterranean and Italian farms were familiar and brought feelings of coming home. We were on the freeway up above the coast and honked as we passed the exit to Menton. Our airbnb was in Nice, but we would be back!
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