Our flight was uneventful and because we left around 10 pm, we were able to sleep on the plane. It was also my first time experiencing premium economy, which was nice except for the loud passenger behind me who kept tapping the video console hard and repeatedly. Nonetheless, our flight and arrival was seamless and we were picked up by our driver and in less than an hour later, at our hotel, Mercure Milano Solari. I picked this hotel because it was westerly (so closer to the airport) and I wanted to be strategic about our plans to visit “The Last Supper”.
My mom and I have been to Milan (see previous Milan posts) several times, but my mom had never seen the famous mural. I saw it back in 2015 on my trip with Amanda (see prior visit post) and since we had the choice of transferring either in Milan or Rome to get to Malta, I decided this was an opportune time. So we’re in Milan for just one night and to see the masterpiece!
After showering and a small respite, we took the Tram #14 which left about a block from our hotel and dropped us off in the center and near the Duomo, the famous cathedral in Milan:
Apparently if you touch the bronze part of the door, it’s good luck!
Due to crowds, time crunch, and because we’ve already been, we didn’t go into the cathedral, but rather walked through the famous Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II shopping arcade:
At the other end of the arcade, my mom enjoyed seeing the famous La Scala theater where she saw several performances on her music class trip two years ago - she’s in the left arch:
We then took the metro about 4 stops to Conciliazione. Taking the metro and tram was very easy with the tap of a credit card which tracked transfers between the different types of transportation. However, I managed to circle the entire rotary at the exit because I couldn’t figure out exactly where the blue dot on Google maps wanted us to veer off, as it can be delayed and is accurate within a few hundred meters. Mama Kim thought it was funny, but in no time, we walked the less than 5 minutes to Santa Maria delle Grazie church which houses “The Last Supper”. My mom took a photo of me as I walked up to the church which includes both medieval and renaissance architecture:
The church has been bombed several times during World War II, and through various restorations and protective measures, the Cenacolo Vinciano, as it’s known in Italian, can be seen with advanced tickets and a controlled 15 minute visit.
I opted for an entry including an English guide, and surprisingly, unlike in 2015, we could take photos without flash. I surmised to my mom they probably had to give in to the tourists who were probably sneaking in snaps:
I remarked how happy my mom looks here and now she can stop regretting not having seen it on her last trip to Milan! I guess you can say this was an early Mother’s Day gift!
After the tour and visit, we enjoyed the beautiful weather and killed time by relaxing on benches and walked slowly to Bistro Aimo and Nadia which was about a 5 minute walk. The restaurant was colorful with pillows and vibrant decor. We enjoyed babaganoush, delicious bread, toasted leaves with almond sauce for the amuse bouche, “in saor” fish with endive which is apparently a Venetian-style sardine dish, beef tartare, stuffed onions with rice and chard, spaghetti with fish ragu, and risotto Milanese. I also had a lovely rosé from the Amalfi coast from the vineyard of Marisa Cuomo. I asked my mom to rotate her placemat to position the tasty Bistro Tiramisu. Food collage below:
Stuffed after dinner, we decided to take the tram to build in a little walking time, but not to overdo the walking as we were both so tired. Walking to our hotel would have been the same amount of time with the tram wait, but without proper naps, we were beat. After a few tram stops, we were back at our hotel to rest before our early flight to Malta!
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