Complimentary Breakfast to Last Supper

Helen made hotel reservations at the Milan Marriott using Jay’s Marriott points. It was a wonderful surprise when we arrived to be greeted with a room upgrade due to Jay’s Marriott Gold status. A cold bottle of white Soave wine and some snacks were also provided. We were tired after our long trip and opted for a restful night’s sleep in our comfy bed surrounded by a most delicious quiet. Ahhhhh……

In the morning, we took advantage of the complimentary breakfast in the spacious hotel restaurant. It was a slow time for the hotel and we had the breakfast area almost all to ourselves. We shared some morning conversation with Jim, a physician from Utah on a week’s vacation in Italy. We also inquired about a guided city tour. Our luck was strong and we were able to book seats on a three-hour city bus tour.

We caught a taxi to the Tourist Office by the Duomo (church), purchased tickets and got on the bus. Our timing was exquisite. When we sat down we heard our tour guide say, “Let me tell you about today’s tour.”

The tour took us through a small area of Milan, but it was interesting and significant. We started at the Duomo, the church in the middle of town. This particular church was left standing after the bombing of WW II. By volume, it is the third largest church in the world after St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and another church in Seville, Spain. The church was massive. This duomo also contained a holy relic.

Holy relics, of course, were the European rage from the dark ages to the Renaissance. Many churches have sacred relics, mostly a bone or bone fragment of a saintly person. The Milano Duomo, on the other hand, has a nail from the cross of Jesus. The nail is housed high above the altar. A bright red light marks the location of the holy hunk of iron. We were told on the tour that 36 such holy nails from the cross of Jesus were housed in various churches in Europe. Hmmmm….36 nails. We learned that if an “actual holy” relic touches a “wannabe relic”….voila…a new relic. Egad, if Jesus knew what was going on he would roll over in his grave.

We toured the back areas of the famous La Scala Opera House and saw some rare musical instuments and some original compositions. There were also paintings and busts of famous composers, conductors and singers, including Arturo Toscanini and Maria Callas.

The finale of our Milan tour was Michelangelo’s Last Supper. Tourists are organized into groups of 20 or so and allowed a limited time in the chapel housing this famous painting. Entrance to the chapel is controlled by the synchronized opening of an outside door, tourists enter a small hallway, outside door closes, inside door opens: high tech humidity control.

Much to Helen’s surprise the Last Supper was bigger than she had imagined and in a brighter, more open setting. The painting (not a fresco…to you artwork wonks) is at one end of the chapel. A fresco at the other end of the chapel depicts Jesus on the cross. Quite a dichotomy of visual images. Our guide indicated that the painting of the Last Supper captures the moment when Jesus said, “One of you will betray me…” The posture of the disciplines at the table reflects their reaction to Jesus’ pronouncement. Our fifteen minutes with Last Supper ended quickly and we walked out to allow another group to gaze at the painting.