"The Last Supper" (Il Cenacolo or L'Ultima Cena) is known to Vietnamese as "The Last Supper" or "The Last Supper", and is ranked by CNN as the second most famous painting in the world, after "Mona Lisa". Both are works by Leonardo da Vinci, the great Italian, who painted only about 20 paintings in his entire life.
"Mona Lisa" is a small portrait that followed the artist from Italy to France to live his last years. It is currently the most popular work in the Louvre Museum (Paris, France). Meanwhile, "The Last Supper" is a large mural that Leonardo painted on the dining room wall of the Santa Maria delle Grazie church in Milan, so this work is still in Italy. It is currently managed by the Cenacolo Vinciano museum, located at the Santa Maria delle Grazie church.
"The Last Supper" was created more than 500 years ago, and today it has become an indispensable part of popular culture. Many works have been created based on this theme, but Leonardo's painting is the most famous. Billions of people around the world have known "The Last Supper" through pictures, magazines, postcards, stamps, fashion, novels, and even Hollywood blockbusters.
But few people have had the chance to see “The Last Supper” in person, as it is so carefully preserved and tickets are limited. The museum sells tickets on a quarterly basis, with tickets for February, March, and April 2024 going on sale on December 19, 2023, and selling out quickly. Visitors who want to buy tickets now will have to wait until the next sales period for May, June, and July.
Since August 2023, after obtaining a visa to Italy, we have been on the museum's website to find out how to buy tickets. When we read the ticket conditions, we were surprised because this is the museum with the strictest conditions among the hundreds of museums in many countries that we have visited.
Each visitor can only buy a maximum of 5 tickets, twice a year. Tickets must be filled out with the visitor's full name, and upon arrival, the visitor must present identification with the corresponding name.
Each visit lasts only 15 minutes, according to the scheduled time. Visitors must be present at the museum at least 30 minutes before the start of the tour. If you arrive late, you will lose your ticket. Tickets purchased are non-refundable under any circumstances. Filming is not allowed in the museum, only photography without flash is allowed.
The entrance fee to the Cenacolo Vinciano museum is 15 euros plus 9 euros for services, a total of 24 euros per person. Meanwhile, a few hundred meters away, the massive museum in the Sforzesco Castle with thousands of classic works costs 5 euros. In France, the entrance fee to the Louvre museum is only 22 euros, with no time limit.
Before arriving, we imagined that the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie would be massive and magnificent, and the Cenacolo Vinciano museum would be full of classic works. But when we arrived, we were surprised because the church was quite small, with simple architectural style and decoration compared to the Duomo di Milano - the main cathedral of the same city. There was no ticket to enter the church, but to enter the old dining room, where "The Last Supper" was held, we had to book months in advance.
Not surprisingly, there were often "Sold Out" signs outside the museum, and many visitors had to leave. After completing many procedures, presenting passports and leaving all luggage, we gathered in front of the church - where the tour began. Visitors were required to go in groups of about 20 people each and follow the instructions of the tour guide, entering and leaving the old dining room of the church at the scheduled time, to the exact minute.
When we entered the museum, we realized that there was only one work on display, "The Last Supper". The museum - the old dining room of the church - had no other artifacts besides the four walls. For long-term preservation, the four walls of the room were not exposed to sunlight, and were kept under soft lighting.
In a feeling of reverence and emotion before a priceless cultural heritage of humanity, all visitors silently watched. Everyone had to stand at least one meter away, no one was allowed to touch the wall. There were only about 20 visitors but there were often 5-6 museum staff observing, reminding those who intended to take videos or accidentally turned on the flash.
In reality, "The Last Supper" looks much paler than the countless calendar and film versions we've seen. Yet Leonardo's creative rendering, deep symbols and metaphors, and the rich details of the faces and poses of each character are still as valuable and clear after 500 years.
This 4.6m x 8.8m large work is now a priceless treasure of Italy. Perhaps that is why "The Last Supper" is much more difficult to visit than other famous paintings and sculptures, including "Mona Lisa". Last year, we visited the Mona Lisa in a room with hundreds of people in the Louvre. But a visit to the Cenacolo Vinciano is a worthwhile experience for any tourist to Italy.
TB (according to VnExpress)Source
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