10 Best Things to Do in Milan #2 – How to get tickets to see the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci
Mirella and Valeria of Bella Milano Tours have selected for you the 10 best things to do in Milan. You won’t find typical highlights (“visit the outstanding Duomo”, “marvel at the beauty of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele”: follow us on one of our tours and we will show you the best of Milan!), but rather some sources of inspiration for an unforgettable visit to our beloved hometown.
2. GET TICKETS TO SEE THE LAST SUPPER BY LEONARDO DA VINCI…
…without spending a fortune. Yes, it sounds impossible, but it isn’t. We are going to reveal to you the best kept secret in Milan.
A must-see masterpiece
The Last Supper is a must-see masterpiece, THE place to be whether you are a fan of Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code, an art historian, or both. Housed in the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Leonardo’s painting is open to visitors every day except Monday, but only 30-35 people are allowed inside every 15 minutes. Therefore tickets are limited, and quite hard to get. If you google “Last Supper”, what you get is thousands of companies selling tours that include Leonardo’s masterpiece. Prices of such tours may range from 44 to 200 euro. But what if you just want to see the Last Supper, and pay only the price of the ticket, that is 10 euro?
The official reservation website
As strange as it may seem, the official reservation website is this. The Last Supper is called Cenacolo Vinciano in Italian, and Vivaticket – formerly known as Best Union – is the company authorized by the Italian Ministry of Culture to sell tickets online. Unfortunately, tickets are always sold out. Try checking the website for a few days: all boxes of the calendar will remain sadly grey. Or try with the call center: your phone call will not be answered.
Tours including the Last Supper
What about a tour including the Last Supper? It seems to be the only way to visit Leonardo’s iconic work. Obviously, a tour adds a lot to your experience in Milan. A professional guide will make you discover the many beauties of our fantastic city, and will properly explain to you the context in which Leonardo worked. But maybe you are in a hurry and do not have the time for a walking tour. Or maybe you just want to admire the masterpiece by yourself. If this is the case, what should you do?
Early birds get the worm
Early birds get the worm, as the old saying goes. So get up early, go in person to Santa Maria delle Grazie, stand in the short line in front of the ticket office, which opens at 8 am, and ask if there is any cancellation. If you get there a little before the opening time, say 7.45 am, you will surely be rewarded with a ticket, at the cost of just 10 euro. Of course, you will need to have a bit of luck as to the entrance time slot: cancellations may be at any time of the day, and your turn may be, for example, at 11 am, or 3.45 pm. Fill this time with a visit to the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, or to the nearby Sforza Castle, where Leonardo painted the unfinished Sala delle Asse. What a great way to spend your waiting!
