SPIRIT OF GENIUS

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Leonardo's spirit is alive in Milan, as delegates attending the XXX ESCRS Congress, 8-12 September 2012 will discover.

In 1482, the Florentine painter Leonardo da Vinci, sent a job application to Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. Hoping to appeal to the Duke's practical side, he presented himself as an engineer who could, if required, paint and sculpt. For the next 17 years, the Duke enjoyed the fruits of Leonardo's genius; some of that work remains to enchant today's visitors.

The Last Supper

Leonardo's most important legacy to his adopted city is the painting in the refectory of the monastery of Santa Maria della Grazie. Leonardo worked on the mural, commissioned by the Duke, for three years.

It's almost miraculous that the painting survived for us to see. Hoping to achieve greater luminosity, Leonardo experimented with oil painting on a dry wall; the paint began to flake off almost at once. Subsequent attempts at restoration damaged it further. By 1652, the painting was so obliterated the monks cut a door through to the adjoining room slicing off Christ's feet. A century and a half later, Napoleon's soldiers pelted the heads of the apostles with bricks. A bomb fell on the church in the Second World War, leaving the mural exposed to the elements for three years.

In 1979, a definitive restoration was begun. It took 20 years; on some days only a postage stamp-sized piece of the 460 x 880cm painting could be repaired. Some estimates suggest that, after this and previous restorations, a mere 20 per cent of the original remains. But so profoundly moving is the 'body language' of Christ and the 12 Apostles that the painting still leaves most visitors lost for words.

A sophisticated monitoring system preserves the work from further damage; a thousand people a day, 25 at a time, pass through two 'air locks' before entering the refectory for a visit strictly limited to 15 minutes. It can be frustratingly difficult to get a ticket. The best solution may be to join a tour.

Kuoni Travel will offer tours that include a visit to the Last Supper for delegates to the ESCRS Congress in Milan. Alternatively, apply to the booking office for the Cenacola Vinciano by phone at: 02.8942114. Tickets go on sale three months in advance and sell out quickly. Closed Mondays.

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Navigli

Milan's 13th century network of navigable canals, the Navigli, was crucial to the city's economic well-being. Ludovico assigned his new engineer the task of upgrading and improving it. The innovative system of locks Leonardo devised was used until the navigli were abandoned in 1979. Although most of the canals have since been filled in or have simply collapsed, two short stretches remain. A sightseeing boat offers a 55-minute cruise through the waterways Leonardo knew so well, leaving from outside number 4, Azaia Naviglio Grand. Space permitting, you can simply hop aboard the boat at the landing but if you'd rather be sure of a seat, phone: 02-92273118 or visit: www.naviglilombardi.it.

The area between the canals is today Milan's liveliest neighbourhood, full of galleries, vintage shops, restaurants and clubs that on pleasant evenings spill out onto the street. Every Saturday morning, there's a flea market along the Darsena and on the last Sunday of the month, an antiques market beside the Naviglio Grande.

Sale Dele Asse

Leonardo also served as 'master of the revels' to the Duke by designing robots to entertain the guests and staging theatrical events. All that remains of these duties is a heavily restored ceiling in a reception room in Castle Sforza, a canopy of delicately painted tree branches. Sale dele Asse, Room 8. Closed Mondays

Il Cavallo

Leonardo worked intermittently on plans for a gigantic bronze horse, intended as a memorial for the Duke's father, Francesco Sforza. Eventually the clay model was produced and 80 tons of bronze set aside for casting. Then France invaded; the bronze was used for munitions and enemy soldiers destroyed the clay model. In 1977, this story caught the attention of an American philanthropist who devoted the rest of his life to the completion of the project. In 1999, the 25 ft tall cast bronze horse inspired by Leonardo's sketches and created by Nina Akuma was delivered to Milan as a gift to the Italian people. The largest bronze horse in the world, 'Il Cavallo' stands in front of Milan's Hippodrome, near the San Siro football stadium.

Codex Atlanticus

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Until 2015, visitors to Milan have a unique opportunity to see pages of the Codex Atlanticus, one of the notebooks in which Leonardo sketched his inventions and recorded his research into everything from anatomy to the construction of armoured tanks. The notes are in “mirror writing,†possibly because it was easier for the left-handed Leonardo to pull his plume pen from right to left. Normally, the 1115 pages of the Codex are kept in the Ambrosiana Library, where only accredited scholars may consult them. Currently, the pages are displayed to the public, half at the Ambrosiana and the other half in the sacristy of Santa Maria della Grazie in rotating exhibits designed along selected themes. Closed Mondays. To pre-book tickets, visit: http://en.milano.waf.it/museo.html.

Thirty of the inventions recorded in Leonardo’s notebooks have been constructed from his sketches and are on permanent display in the Leonardo Gallery of National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan Closed Mondays.
For details, visit: www.museoscienza.org.