Berlin Milan Day 4 - The Last Supper and Lake Como

February 18, 2023

Berlin Milan Day 4 - The Last Supper and Lake Como

We had pre-purchased our train ticket to Lake Como when we arrived in Milan the day before so we could head to Centrale and hop on the train that works for us anytime. But before we depart for Lake Como, we had one major stop to make - visiting the Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci.

The famous mural by Da Vinci is located at the dining hall (refectory) of the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The refectory was mostly destroyed during WWII from Allied Bombing raids but the murals did survive. Today, the refectory is part of the Cenacolo Vinciano Museum which manages and preserves this Italian national treasure.

We had pre-purchased the ticket reservation to see the Last Supper weeks before we arrived in Milan via the Museum website. We reserved the earliest time slot which is 8:15 am and we had to arrive at the booth 30 minutes before to pick up the actual ticket from our reservation with our passports. The tickets are released on a quarterly basis so as soon as the booking dates became available, we booked our reservation.

The rain had continued from the day before. We got up around 6:00 am and hopped in an Uber shortly after 7:15 to take us to the museum which is located only about a 10 minute drive from our apartment via the narrow streets of old Milan, accounting for being stuck behind a garbage truck for half of the time.

Getting in line at a rainy Tuesday morning

The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Santa Maria delle Grazie

The Museum now manages the famous mural

Got our tickets to enter the museum

We entered the museum right on time with our tickets in hand. This reservation and ticking process could be confusing so we did see people try to figure out how this process works. After checking our tickets at the lobby, we entered a waiting room before we were allowed to enter the refectory where the murals are located. After waiting for a few minutes, we were let in (only 35 people are allowed per a 15 minute viewing slot) and there it was - The Last Supper.

The waiting before entering the refectory has a nice view of the courtyard and the monastery

The destruction of the monastery was extensive in WWII

The Last Supper at last

Yes we are here but where is my supper?

Who is who?

The refectory has been completely rebuilt

"Crucification" by Giovanni Donato da Montorfaro is located at the opposite end of the refectory

After the 15 minute viewing slot is up, we were led to the adjacent room with quite a bit of information about the history of the monastery and the restoration process. We were quite hungry at this point. So after we were let out, we took the short metro ride to Centrale to get breakfast and catch our train to Lake Como.

A large photo showing how the mural was being protected during Allied Bomb raid

Quite a devastation

The restoration process

How to preserve the mural for centuries to come

Taking in the view of the historic area on the way to the metro

Made it back to the incredibly large and busy Centrale

Nuova Rustichella, a large size breakfast panini sandwich, one of our favorites

After getting some breakfast and espresso coffee, we were ready to take on our next stop - Lake Como. Lake Como is shaped like an up-side-down Y and our first destination was Varenna, a picturesque town located at eastern side of the lake just above the Y junction. We caught the 10:30 train and it would only take us one hour to get to Varenna. We would be using the trains by Trenord today. There are at least two different rail companies that serve different areas of Italy. I had previously downloaded the Trenord app so checking the Trenord scheduled was quite convenient via the app.

Caught the 10:30 train

Pulling out of Centrale right at 10:30

View of the Lake Como from the left side of the train

Enjoying the lake view on a cloudy day

Lake Como is a large area and there are many ways to see and enjoy the scenery. You can spend days or even weeks exploring the area but our time was limited so we decided to focus on the area around Varenna. We would arrive at Varenna and take the ferry to Bellagio. We would explore Bellegio, then take the ferry to Managgio then finally back at Varenna.

Arrived at the Varenna Station

Late Late fall at Varenna

Quiet day at the lake

View of the alps in distance

Making our way to the ferry stop

Hotel Olivedo by the ferry stop

The colorful buildings by the town square

Waiting for the ferry to Bellagio

Ducks enjoying the calm water

Pulling away from Varenna to Bellagio shortly before noon

View of the southern part of Varenna, we would visit this area when we return later in the day

The Hill part of the town is now visible

We would end up taking this ferry line multiple times

Looking north, several of the Swiss Alp peaks are visible

Looking south, Bellagio is to the left and the town of Tremezzo is to the right

Bellagio is in sight

Getting close

Docking

MM ready to disembark

The crowd is quite thin during off season

Bellagio is a very popular spot for people visiting Lake Como (unless you have your own villa here). Since we visited during off season, many of the hotels and restaurants are closed. But there are a few shops and restaurants open in Bellagio. We followed the crowed and meandered through the narrow cobble stone streets of Bellagio and located our lunch spot - Antico Pozzo.

MM checking out the narrow street

Passing another narrow alley

We'll follow the crowd and go up on this one

Salita Mella, we are on the right street

La Dolce Vita?

Looking back at the street from Antico Pozzo

Ready to order

Spritz to start

pizza to follow

Pasta and local catch

After lunch, we continued to explore Bellagio. We walked and shopped for some souvenirs and we took the 3:30 ferry to Menaggio.

Walked to one of the churches in town

The church also seems to have functioned as a castle

A stroll is needed after a big lunch

View of Lake Como from one of the many narrow streets

3:35 pm, the sun is already making its way down

On the way to Menaggio

Docking at Menaggio

The quiet town of Menaggio

Menaggio was even more quiet than Bellagio. There were some shops open but most were closed. We walked around a bit and took some pictures by the marina. We took the 4:30 ferry back to Varenna as the sun was setting.

The quiet harbor marina of Menaggio

The marina was real quiet

The town was quiet also, it is off season after all

Flowers by the marina

A quiet pathway by the marina

The beautiful but quiet town street

A small open dock

The sun was setting and the light was reflecting off the mountain on the eastern side of the lake

Departing the Menaggio marina

The sky almost looked purple due to the diffraction from the rain cloud. After all this is planet Naboo

Back at Varenna, the lights are already

Disembarking at Varenna, 4:52 pm

Our plan was to take the 5:30 train back to Milano Centrale but we had one more task to complete before we depart Varenna. We had to make it to south of the town to capture the "money shot" of Varenna. We walked briskly along the pathway by the marina and found the money shot spot after about a 5 minute walk. We got the shot and made a B-line back to the train station to head home. It was getting dark and real quiet.

Making our way to the south end of the town

The sunset really gives the vibe of planet Naboo

The narrow street of Varenna

The "money shot" of Varenna from south of the town

A higher quality image from my Canon M6MII 22MM F2.0

The grainy selfie shot

We got back in town just shortly after 7:00 pm. We decided to explore the trendy neighborhood of Brera tonight. Our dinner spot - Osteria da Fortunata was at the heart of action in Brera.