SIGHTSEEING

Sightseeing MUSEUMS & ATTRACTIONS

Discovering Leonardo’s masterpiece

One of the most famous attractions in the world, but not easily accessible due to strict conservation regulations, Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper has become “for everyone” thanks to new multimedia supports.

The large mural painting by Leonardo, representing the scene of the last supper of Jesus narrated in the Gospel, adorns a wall of the huge refectory in the convent annexed to the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Work on the Last Supper began around 1494 and was completed in 1497: Leonardo devoted painstaking attention to every detail of his works and he began with the overall conception of the wall, and then devoted lengthy study to the general composition and the individual figures, describing their “motions of the soul” through gestures, expressions and body language. For this masterpiece, da Vinci did not adopt the usual fresco technique, seeking instead a method that would allow him to make continual adjustments on the work. Just a few years after the fresco was completed, however, the paint began coming away from the plaster, and the supporting layer gradually crumbled. The most recent restoration work, lasting over twenty years, removed the layers of dirt and the materials added during earlier work, bringing large parts of the original painting to light. On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Leonardo’s death (2019), a multimedia project was launched to open the Refectory to everyone, at least on a virtual level. You can consult the dedicated website with useful information for the visit and in-depth information (www.cenacolovinciano.org), discover communication via social media through Instagram (cenacolo_vinciano) and Facebook (Museo del Cenacolo Vinciano) profiles and download the free App in 8 languages which offers a unique visit route (Cenacolo Vinciano).